Under Duress (H/D, PG)
Title: Under Duress
Author: sesheta_66
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1511
Pairing/Characters: Harry/Draco
Challenge: For drgaellon's birthday prompt of "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." (Ben Franklin). It also fits my GJ 100_prompts table #083 - "Bias."
Summary: The higher ups in Voldemort's ranks are all now dead or in Azkaban. Now it's time for the lower ranks to be held accountable.
Disclaimer: The characters contained herein are not mine. They belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money is being made from this fiction, which is presented for entertainment purposes only.
"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety," the Chief Wizengamot's voice rang out through the hall. He was addressing the crowd gathered, as the trials moved on to their next stage.
The higher-ups in Voldemort's ranks had already been tried and sentenced, as had a number of more zealous followers. Up now were those who acted without the Imperius, but presumably under extreme duress. Clearly, that fact did not appear to pardon them in the eyes of this formidable wizard.
Included in this group were many children of known Death Eaters, including Gregory Goyle and Draco Malfoy. Harry looked on, wondering what their fate would be. Each of the thirteen on the roster pled not guilty due to extreme duress, were given trial dates, and left the court.
Harry knew he would attend the trials of both Slytherins. What he didn't know was how he felt about them. Until about a week beforehand. He kept replaying the events at Malfoy Manor and Hogwarts like some movie that was on an endless loop. Knowing what his actions would mean, he addressed two letters to the Wizengamot. After making changes several times, satisfied with their content, he attached them to his new owl's leg and sent him on his way.
While the owl was delivering those letters, Harry took great care in scribing the next one. Once he was pleased with the wording, he addressed it to Narcissa Malfoy and waited for his owl's return.
~*~*~
When the day of Gregory Goyle's trial arrived, Harry sat in the seats, visions of visiting this place in Dumbledore's Pensieve, and again at his own trial still vivid in his mind. The pre-trials had been held in a lesser court, but once again the Wizengamot seemed to want to make examples of these witches and wizards, so the trials were held in the infamous courtroom ten.
Harry listened as his own letter was read into evidence, stating that Gregory Goyle had approached him in the Room of Requirement, along with Vincent Crabbe and Draco Malfoy. He further stated that the intent had been, as they told Harry, to take him to Voldemort. However, his letter went on to explain, it was clear to him that neither Goyle nor Malfoy were acting freely, but rather hesitantly. The only one of the three of them to take offensive action against Harry and his friends was Crabbe. The other two just appeared to go through the motions. Harry's letter certainly did not absolve Goyle of guilt - Harry did feel he was guilty and should pay - but he made it clear that Goyle was not the mastermind. He had always been a follower.
When all was said and done, Gregory Goyle was sentenced to six months in the now Dementor-free Azkaban, and 200 hours of community service to make partial reparations for his crimes.
Two days later, Harry received a short letter of thanks from Goyle. He didn't respond.
~*~*~
Nine days following Goyle's trial was Draco Malfoy's. Once again, Harry listened to the prosecution's case presented to the court, and the reading of his second letter into evidence. The prosecutors called various witnesses, as did the defence.
"Have you presented your entire case?" the Chief Wizengamot asked.
"We have one more witness," Malfoy's lawyer responded. "Harry Potter."
The silence that spread through the courtroom as Harry's name was called was deafening. As he stood up and proceeded to the front of the room, the silence was replaced by a slowly building crescendo of chatter. Harry ignored it all as he passed other observers and sat down, in time to hear the Chief call for silence.
Harry glanced towards the defendant's table; Narcissa Malfoy gave Harry a barely noticeable smile followed by a nod. Draco Malfoy, however, looked gobsmacked. Harry held back a grin.
As he testified about Draco letting in the Death Eaters and the attempts on Dumbledore's life, Harry noticed Draco getting nervous. He wanted to be able to give him a look that said, "Trust me. They already know all of this, so if I don't mention it, they'll think I'm lying." But he knew he couldn't, so he carried on. Once he finished telling the Wizengamot what they already knew, he continued.
"Draco Malfoy was not a killer. He had been told, in no uncertain terms, that his parents would be killed, as would he, if he didn't carry out the task set him by Voldemort. He agreed, and while he, for all appearances, tried to fulfill Voldemort's wishes, his actions were carried out in such a manner that he clearly was only doing what he absolutely had to. Dumbledore knew it, and so do I." He went on to explain about the Tower, Dumbledore's speech, Draco's lowered wand, and what he saw from inside Voldemort's mind.
He continued to tell the court about the war, and how Draco had been forced - there was no question about it - into committing atrocities, by Voldemort himself, his aunt encouraging him and his parents unable to stop the madness. He explained that not only did Draco not wish to participate, but that on two occasions he actually saved Harry's life, along with the lives of Ron and Hermione.
"Gregory Goyle may have played more of a passive role in the war, but Draco Malfoy took action to save the lives of many - first his parents and himself, and eventually my friends and me. And don't be mistaken. He knew the risk he was taking, but he did it anyway, with absolutely nothing to be gained for himself. If you are considering sentencing him to prison time, please remember that he has already served two years under Voldemort. Trust me when I tell you that Azkaban couldn't possibly be a worse fate than that."
"Thank you, Mr Potter."
"One more thing, if you don't mind," Harry said as he got up to resume his seat in the gallery. "You say that those who give up liberty to gain safety deserve neither. What of those whose liberty and safety were stripped from them and their families? What of those who were prisoners in their own homes, always surrounded by others, unable to escape without risking the lives of those they loved? What do they deserve?"
Draco's face was as stunned as it had been when Harry had been called to the stand. Narcissa was beaming at Harry, and he risked the slightest grin in her direction.
The Wizengamot deliberated for nearly an hour before returning. "Draco Malfoy, the charges against you are very serious, and your actions very nearly caused the death of two of your classmates. Further action by you risked the safety and security of Hogwarts and its students. Other testimony has been given about your actions during the war. All of these things alone would surely amount to a prison term, because you were not under the Imperius Curse, and you had taken the Dark Mark." Harry watched Draco's hand involuntarily rub his left forearm.
"However, given the testimony of Harry Potter, a wizard who was a member of the Order of the Phoenix, who fought Voldemort and won, and who is currently in the Ministry's Auror training program, we have reconsidered your sentence. You and Mr Potter, from all we understand, have never seen eye to eye, so it is clear he shows no bias in your favour. Frankly, we were surprised that he wished to testify on your behalf at all. Given his testimony, and his undisputed link into the mind of Voldemort, we have to conclude that his telling of the events is accurate. We therefore consider your time served as adequate repayment. You are free to go.
Harry left before Draco, Narcissa or anyone else could speak to him.
~*~*~
Two weeks later, Harry answered his door to find Draco Malfoy standing there. Harry stood with the door open, staring at him.
Draco raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to invite me in, Potter, or shall I stand out here freezing to death?"
"Oh, sorry!" Harry stepped back to let Malfoy in. "What are you doing here?"
"You stormed out of the courtroom so fast I didn't get the chance to say thank you."
Harry was afraid of this. "Look, Malfoy, I only told the truth. There's no reason to thank me."
"Merlin's balls, Potter, are you this insufferably noble all the time?"
Harry knew it was an insult, but it lacked Malfoy's usual venom, and was, in a way, a compliment anyway. "Pretty much."
"Gah! I really must teach you some things, you know. You'll get taken advantage of your whole life with an attitude like that!"
Harry chuckled. He supposed Malfoy had a point. "You're welcome," he offered.
"There. That's better. Now, are you going to offer me a drink, or do you always let your guests go thirsty?"
Harry smiled, rolled his eyes, and motioned Malfoy into the kitchen. They settled on tea, then returned to the sitting room. They sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping their drinks. It was a comfortable silence, Harry observed, as he thought about what Malfoy had said earlier. Looking at the blonde, he was suddenly more than intrigued.
He put down his cup and leaned forward. "So, Malfoy, what exactly were you planning on teaching me?"
.
Author: sesheta_66
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1511
Pairing/Characters: Harry/Draco
Challenge: For drgaellon's birthday prompt of "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." (Ben Franklin). It also fits my GJ 100_prompts table #083 - "Bias."
Summary: The higher ups in Voldemort's ranks are all now dead or in Azkaban. Now it's time for the lower ranks to be held accountable.
Disclaimer: The characters contained herein are not mine. They belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money is being made from this fiction, which is presented for entertainment purposes only.
"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety," the Chief Wizengamot's voice rang out through the hall. He was addressing the crowd gathered, as the trials moved on to their next stage.
The higher-ups in Voldemort's ranks had already been tried and sentenced, as had a number of more zealous followers. Up now were those who acted without the Imperius, but presumably under extreme duress. Clearly, that fact did not appear to pardon them in the eyes of this formidable wizard.
Included in this group were many children of known Death Eaters, including Gregory Goyle and Draco Malfoy. Harry looked on, wondering what their fate would be. Each of the thirteen on the roster pled not guilty due to extreme duress, were given trial dates, and left the court.
Harry knew he would attend the trials of both Slytherins. What he didn't know was how he felt about them. Until about a week beforehand. He kept replaying the events at Malfoy Manor and Hogwarts like some movie that was on an endless loop. Knowing what his actions would mean, he addressed two letters to the Wizengamot. After making changes several times, satisfied with their content, he attached them to his new owl's leg and sent him on his way.
While the owl was delivering those letters, Harry took great care in scribing the next one. Once he was pleased with the wording, he addressed it to Narcissa Malfoy and waited for his owl's return.
~*~*~
When the day of Gregory Goyle's trial arrived, Harry sat in the seats, visions of visiting this place in Dumbledore's Pensieve, and again at his own trial still vivid in his mind. The pre-trials had been held in a lesser court, but once again the Wizengamot seemed to want to make examples of these witches and wizards, so the trials were held in the infamous courtroom ten.
Harry listened as his own letter was read into evidence, stating that Gregory Goyle had approached him in the Room of Requirement, along with Vincent Crabbe and Draco Malfoy. He further stated that the intent had been, as they told Harry, to take him to Voldemort. However, his letter went on to explain, it was clear to him that neither Goyle nor Malfoy were acting freely, but rather hesitantly. The only one of the three of them to take offensive action against Harry and his friends was Crabbe. The other two just appeared to go through the motions. Harry's letter certainly did not absolve Goyle of guilt - Harry did feel he was guilty and should pay - but he made it clear that Goyle was not the mastermind. He had always been a follower.
When all was said and done, Gregory Goyle was sentenced to six months in the now Dementor-free Azkaban, and 200 hours of community service to make partial reparations for his crimes.
Two days later, Harry received a short letter of thanks from Goyle. He didn't respond.
~*~*~
Nine days following Goyle's trial was Draco Malfoy's. Once again, Harry listened to the prosecution's case presented to the court, and the reading of his second letter into evidence. The prosecutors called various witnesses, as did the defence.
"Have you presented your entire case?" the Chief Wizengamot asked.
"We have one more witness," Malfoy's lawyer responded. "Harry Potter."
The silence that spread through the courtroom as Harry's name was called was deafening. As he stood up and proceeded to the front of the room, the silence was replaced by a slowly building crescendo of chatter. Harry ignored it all as he passed other observers and sat down, in time to hear the Chief call for silence.
Harry glanced towards the defendant's table; Narcissa Malfoy gave Harry a barely noticeable smile followed by a nod. Draco Malfoy, however, looked gobsmacked. Harry held back a grin.
As he testified about Draco letting in the Death Eaters and the attempts on Dumbledore's life, Harry noticed Draco getting nervous. He wanted to be able to give him a look that said, "Trust me. They already know all of this, so if I don't mention it, they'll think I'm lying." But he knew he couldn't, so he carried on. Once he finished telling the Wizengamot what they already knew, he continued.
"Draco Malfoy was not a killer. He had been told, in no uncertain terms, that his parents would be killed, as would he, if he didn't carry out the task set him by Voldemort. He agreed, and while he, for all appearances, tried to fulfill Voldemort's wishes, his actions were carried out in such a manner that he clearly was only doing what he absolutely had to. Dumbledore knew it, and so do I." He went on to explain about the Tower, Dumbledore's speech, Draco's lowered wand, and what he saw from inside Voldemort's mind.
He continued to tell the court about the war, and how Draco had been forced - there was no question about it - into committing atrocities, by Voldemort himself, his aunt encouraging him and his parents unable to stop the madness. He explained that not only did Draco not wish to participate, but that on two occasions he actually saved Harry's life, along with the lives of Ron and Hermione.
"Gregory Goyle may have played more of a passive role in the war, but Draco Malfoy took action to save the lives of many - first his parents and himself, and eventually my friends and me. And don't be mistaken. He knew the risk he was taking, but he did it anyway, with absolutely nothing to be gained for himself. If you are considering sentencing him to prison time, please remember that he has already served two years under Voldemort. Trust me when I tell you that Azkaban couldn't possibly be a worse fate than that."
"Thank you, Mr Potter."
"One more thing, if you don't mind," Harry said as he got up to resume his seat in the gallery. "You say that those who give up liberty to gain safety deserve neither. What of those whose liberty and safety were stripped from them and their families? What of those who were prisoners in their own homes, always surrounded by others, unable to escape without risking the lives of those they loved? What do they deserve?"
Draco's face was as stunned as it had been when Harry had been called to the stand. Narcissa was beaming at Harry, and he risked the slightest grin in her direction.
The Wizengamot deliberated for nearly an hour before returning. "Draco Malfoy, the charges against you are very serious, and your actions very nearly caused the death of two of your classmates. Further action by you risked the safety and security of Hogwarts and its students. Other testimony has been given about your actions during the war. All of these things alone would surely amount to a prison term, because you were not under the Imperius Curse, and you had taken the Dark Mark." Harry watched Draco's hand involuntarily rub his left forearm.
"However, given the testimony of Harry Potter, a wizard who was a member of the Order of the Phoenix, who fought Voldemort and won, and who is currently in the Ministry's Auror training program, we have reconsidered your sentence. You and Mr Potter, from all we understand, have never seen eye to eye, so it is clear he shows no bias in your favour. Frankly, we were surprised that he wished to testify on your behalf at all. Given his testimony, and his undisputed link into the mind of Voldemort, we have to conclude that his telling of the events is accurate. We therefore consider your time served as adequate repayment. You are free to go.
Harry left before Draco, Narcissa or anyone else could speak to him.
~*~*~
Two weeks later, Harry answered his door to find Draco Malfoy standing there. Harry stood with the door open, staring at him.
Draco raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to invite me in, Potter, or shall I stand out here freezing to death?"
"Oh, sorry!" Harry stepped back to let Malfoy in. "What are you doing here?"
"You stormed out of the courtroom so fast I didn't get the chance to say thank you."
Harry was afraid of this. "Look, Malfoy, I only told the truth. There's no reason to thank me."
"Merlin's balls, Potter, are you this insufferably noble all the time?"
Harry knew it was an insult, but it lacked Malfoy's usual venom, and was, in a way, a compliment anyway. "Pretty much."
"Gah! I really must teach you some things, you know. You'll get taken advantage of your whole life with an attitude like that!"
Harry chuckled. He supposed Malfoy had a point. "You're welcome," he offered.
"There. That's better. Now, are you going to offer me a drink, or do you always let your guests go thirsty?"
Harry smiled, rolled his eyes, and motioned Malfoy into the kitchen. They settled on tea, then returned to the sitting room. They sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping their drinks. It was a comfortable silence, Harry observed, as he thought about what Malfoy had said earlier. Looking at the blonde, he was suddenly more than intrigued.
He put down his cup and leaned forward. "So, Malfoy, what exactly were you planning on teaching me?"
.