#justice for draco

[fanfic-lover-girl]

I wish Hagrid would burn in fictional hell

‘Because she’ll never be as good as Hagrid,’ said Harry firmly, fully aware that he had just experienced an exemplary Care of Magical Creatures lesson and was thoroughly annoyed about it.

‘We’ve got to go and see him,’ said Harry. ‘This evening, after Divination. Tell him we want him back … You do want him back?’ he shot at Hermione. ‘I – well, I’m not going to pretend it didn’t make a nice change, having a proper Care of Magical Creatures lesson for once – but I do want Hagrid back, of course I do!’ Hermione added hastily, quailing under Harry’s furious stare.

To the class’s horror, Hagrid proceeded to explain that the reason the Skrewts had been killing each other was an excess of pent-up energy, and that the solution would be for each of the class to fix a leash on a Skrewt and take it for a short walk.

Their thick grey armour, their powerful, scuttling legs, their fire-blasting ends, their stings and their suckers, combined to make the Skrewts the most repulsive things Harry had ever seen. Most of the class – Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle in the lead – had fled into Hagrid’s cabin through the back door and barricaded themselves in; Harry, Ron and Hermione, however, were among those who remained outside trying to help Hagrid.

‘Hagrid’s been in loads of trouble before, and Dumbledore’s never sacked him,’ said Ron consolingly. ‘Worst that can happen is Hagrid’ll have to get rid of the Skrewts. Sorry … did I say worst? I meant best.’

‘What are these fascinating creatures called?’ she asked, beaming still more widely. ‘Blast-Ended Skrewts,’ grunted Hagrid. ‘Really?’ said Rita, apparently full of lively interest. ‘I’ve never heard of them before … where do they come from?’ Harry noticed a dull red flush rising up out of Hagrid’s wild black beard, and his heart sank. Where had Hagrid got the Skrewts from? ‘Lovely,’ said Rita. ‘Really lovely. Been teaching long?’ she added to Hagrid. Harry noticed her eyes travel over Dean (who had a nasty cut across one cheek), Lavender (whose robes were badly singed), Seamus (who was nursing several burnt fingers), and then to the cabin windows, where most of the class stood, their noses pressed against the glass, waiting to see if the coast was clear.

I will always hate Hagrid. This blog is a Hagrid hate blog whenever that piece of trash is mentioned. And Harry is scum by association. There are WAY more book snippets that demonstrate why these two HP characters deserve to burn in hell together.

Whenever people bitch about Draco bullying Hagrid by trying to get him fired, remember these simple facts:

Hagrid is not a qualified teacher.

He has not completed formal education.

Everyone knows Hagrid is a bad teacher, including the trio.

Harry tries to gaslight/intimate others into believing Hagrid is a good teacher including his friends, especially Hermione.

Everyone, except nitwit horrid Harry, is happy to have a competent teacher.

Even though Harry knows Hagrid is a bad teacher, he works desperately to get the man his job back.

Others are sad when Hagrid returns.

Hagrid puts students in physical danger in his classes.

The people who call out Hagrid publicly for being a bad teacher are labelled as antagonists: Draco + other Slytherins, Rita, and Dolores.

Hagrid pawns off his illegal and/or dangerous dealings into the hands of children (re Grawp and Norbert)

HAGRID DESERVES TO BE FIRED! HE NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN HIRED IN THE FREAKING FIRST PLACE!

And Harry is a self-centred, selfish, stupid, inconsiderate, lowlife piece of vermin for helping to RUIN HIS CLASSMATES' EDUCATION!

I wish Harry and Hagrid freaking died in HP! And Albus Severus should have been Albus Rubeus for real. Severus is too good a name for a low-IQ Potter offspring.

Ok, hate rant over. Draco deserves justice for speaking the truth about Hagrid. For being punished for saying what everyone else was thinking. Screw Harry and Hagrid!

[c1nnam00n]

how it feels trying to find a fanfic/imagine about a fandom that’s dead and dry

[rewritingcanon]

considering how attached scorp was to astoria, i feel like their relationship is HEINOUSLY under-explored by fandom. if anything astoria’s impact on scorp is just used as a minor plot device to give scorp some temporary angst in fics. which makes sense bcuz the cursed child play wasnt much better at making astoria seem like a fully fleshed out presence. but shes still there. yes, scorpius followed albus through time for him, but what was his first hope when coming back to his own timeline? was it about cedric? no, it was about her.

its not a leap at all to say that she was the person he loved most in his life at that stage, not albus or draco. she was his whole world the way only a mother can be, her kindness shines through him, her influence makes scorpius the character that he is and the personality that we love. and i feeeeel like fandom should be aware of that when writing scorpius’ character.

mmmm something something “when your mother is your first love you can search to the ends of the earth and never find any love comparable”

[artytaeh]

im wheezing at the thought of the boys shaving off theo's eyebrows and laughing their ass off bc they cant see theo glaring at them as seriously as he usually does BECAUSE THERE'S NO EYEBROWS ANYMORE.

"not now kitten, daddy's on a rampage"

I'M CRYING TEARS WITH THIS THEODORE WOULD MURDER THEM. 😭😭

[cloudybarnes]

I hope that you may consider my request for Draco Malfoy, in which the reader is in Gryffindor house and a muggle. He doesn’t want to admit that he has feelings for her and she feels the same about him but he doesn’t know how to really react to these feelings and picks on her a little bit until the one day she felt the need to stick up for him to a teacher that seemed to have it for him and after that, feelings are confessed and they end up together in the end? If not, that’s okay! :)

Hii thank you so much for the request!! Hopefully I did it justice to how you imagined it :)

Pairing: Draco Malfor x gryffindor!reader

Summary: hidden feelings with draco get revealed when (Y/N) stands up for him against one of their professors

Word Count: 1.1k+

masterlist

✰  ✰  ✰

"Oh bloody hell," Ron rolled his eyes, "here comes Malfoy."

You scoffed, looking over to where Ron nodded his head. The two of you were sat in the yard on a picnic blanket studying for your potions exam.

Hermione, who may have been able to help a little better than Ron, was off helping Harry woo Cho with some scheme he's come up with. Truthfully though, Ron is pretty good with potions.

"Well, well," Malfoy taunted, his two goonies right in tow, "what have we here? Weasle-bee and (Y/N) on a little date? How pathetic."

Draco stood directly over top of where you and Ron sat. He stared down at you with a smirk, not really paying much attention to Ron.

"What, jealous no girls want to be around that nasty attitude of yours?" you smirked back.

Draco scoffed with a laugh, "I'm sure you'd have no problem spending a night with my 'nasty attitude', sweet cheeks."

The way he spoke to you both infuriated you and gave you butterflies. It was pathetic. Draco was attractive; there was no doubt about that. Beside that, he was a complete dick. He was rude to you and your friends, always belittled them, and did his best to push your buttons.

It was infuriating.

"(Y/N) would never go for someone like you, Malfoy," Ron piped up, "you're way below her standards."

Ron was great for defending you, but if you were being honest with yourself, Draco wasn't mean to you. He was a jerk to your friends which is something you couldn't tolerate, but all he really did was tease you.

Draco smirked, "Why don't we let (Y/N) tell me herself if I'm 'so below her standards'. Sweetheart?"

That pet name made your stomach flip, but you wouldn't show it.

You rolled your eyes, "Draco, you're an asshole at the best of times; I would never give you a chance. Now, if you'll excuse us, we've got a potions exam to study for."

Draco scoffed and gathered his two goons and left you and Ron be. 

“What a nightmare that Malfoy is,” Ron stated.

You hummed in agreement, looking back down at your potions book. The blonde boy infiltrating your thoughts, much to your dismay.  

✰  ✰  ✰

In class the next day, you sat next to Hermione with Ron and Harry at the two-person table behind you. You were sat down taking your potions exam, doing everything in your power to figure out what bloody liquid you put in your pot to make a truth potion. 

Just as you’re on the verge of figuring it out, Draco barges into the classroom, late as usual. Snape’s head lifts up from his desk as Draco parades in and takes his seat.

“Mr. Malfoy,” Snape starts and he stands from his chair, “you’re late.”

“Sorry professor, got lost in the halls.”

Snape scowls, “I don’t want your half-witted excuses, Malfoy. I guess you are as stupid as your classmates presume you to be.”

The class starts to giggle, but Draco bows his head with a scowl on his face. You start to feel a little bit bad for Draco. Though he’s a dickhead to you and your friends, you still know how it sucks to be picked on, especially by a teacher. 

“In fact,” Snape continues as he slowly steps closer to where Draco sits, “you may as well just not even bother taking the exam today. Godric knows you wouldn’t pass even if you had an intelligence spell with you.”

“Professor,” your voice shocks you. You didn’t realize your disdain for the way Malfoy was being talked to would lead to this. 

Snape turns his attention to you, “Ms. (Y/L/N)?”

You cleared your throat and looked at Draco for a quick second before bringing your attention back to Professor Snape. “I think it’s entirely inappropriate the way you belittle Mr. Malfoy by saying how stupid you perceive him to be. Draco may not be the top student, but he is clever, and I think it’s a mistake to underestimate him.”

The class stared at you in disbelief. A Gryffindor standing up for a Slytherin is unheard of, especially if the Slytrherin is Draco Malfoy. 

Snape stares as you for a long second before speaking, “everyone back to the exam. Next person to talk gets 20 points deducted from their house.”

✰  ✰  ✰

After class got let out, you walked with Hermione, Ron, and Harry out in the hallways. 

“What has gotten into you!” Harry exclaimed, “Sticking up for Malfoy now?”

“I’m so confused,” Ron mumbled.

“I mean,” Harry continued, “what were you even thinking?”

Before you could even get a word out, Draco’s voice called out your name.

The four of you turned around to see Draco standing behind you. “Can we have a chat, (Y/L/N)?” Draco asked as he turned his back and started walking the opposite direction as you.

You looked to your friends, who shook their heads, but your curiosity got the better of you, and you decided to go anyway.

When you caught up to Draco, he was stood at one of the pillars looking out the window.

“What did you want, Malfoy?”

Draco turned his attention to you, “Why did you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Don’t play stupid, (Y/N),” Draco snarled, “you stood up for me in front of Snape, in front of the whole class at that. You called him out for saying I was stupid, then you actually complimented me.”

Draco started to grow a smirk on his face. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you have a little crush on me.”

You couldn’t help the warmth that spread to your cheeks. “I don’t have a crush on you, for Godric’s sake. I just don’t particularly like the way Snape talks to his students. Trust me, it was not because it was you, it was because Snape needs to be knocked off his high horse sometimes.”

 Draco chuckled, “Alright, (Y/N), you keep on telling yourself that.” Draco grabbed his bag off the floor and slung it over his shoulder. He stared into your eyes as his shoulder brushed yours,Draco walking past you and leaving. 

You turned and watched him go, but he stopped a few steps down the line. Draco turned around, smirk on his face. “Maybe next time Snape gives us an assignment, you’ll have me as your study date instead of old Weasle-bee.” 

With that, Draco turned back again, walking away. His last statement sent butterflies straight to your belly. You couldn’t wait to take him up on that offer. 

[wulanvansunshine]

I do not ship drarry. However, the fanart?? Send it my way. I need that shit to SURVIVE

[scorpiusmalfoylovesoscarwilde]

NAH NO ABSOLUTELY NOT TELL MEEE TEEEELLLLL MEEEEEEE WHY I WAS PEACEFULLY SCROLLING TIKTOK AND I SEE ONE COMMENT SECTION FLOOODEEDDD WITH SHIT LIKE "astoria greengrass hate club lol" "astoria haters ⬇️⬇️⬇️" "I can't stand astoria" WHAAATTT WHAT THE FUUCCKK WHAT ARE YOU EVEN ACTUALLY FUCKING TALKING ABOUY WHTA THE VBGAGSJSLW I CANNOT EVEN COMPREHEND WHAT THE FUCK YOU ARE ON ABOUT IM GONNA FUCKINGFHFHFJFUFKM WHAT DO YOU EVEN MEEAAANN SHUT THE FYCK UPP OH MY GOD WHAT WHAT DID SHE EVER DO?????

anywayz number one astoria greengrass defender love her so much I will skin your whole body with my teeth if you try and fuck with her that is MY GIRL <3<3<3

[incorrectrigel]

Draco: It's actually a complicated issue Harriet: Just say you're okay with genocide

[youareabird]

Hey, babes, the man you’re simping for is literally crazy.

[dalitheog]

maturing is realizing that the women in harry potter deserved better.

ginny had a crush on harry since she was 10. at this time she is quite literally just a kid and while it was cute watching them grow close i think they pushed it a little too much obviously they’re gonna end up together and i loved the slow burn in the movies but they tried to make it so much like james and lily. james and lily had a little enemies to lovers moment but harry and ginny don’t really have a troupe in my opinion i can’t possibly think of one. to me the “brothers best friend” troupe is weird on them. i honestly think if she would’ve taken the time to search around with guys she wouldn’t have ended up with harry.

hermione honestly got the worst end of the stick here in MY OPINION. ron never exactly gave hermione a second glance when it came to girls until the last 3 movies. hermione definitely noticed her feelings from the beginning but never acted on them due to the fast that ron like i said, never glanced more than once at her. he honestly treated her like shit along with lavender (IN THE MOVIES, NOT BOOK RON). and my girl does not deserve that she’s a complete angel.

cho lost the love of her life when she was 16/17 and had to watch people speculate over his death while dealing with the grief. she gets so much hate for kissing harry but it was in a moment of reaction the girl was literally crying over her dead ex harry should’ve been the one to be like “hey i like you but i think right now you’re really vulnerable and not in the right state of mind.” Like i’m not blaming this on harry i love him so much but still.

lavender developed a crush on ron in her 6th year and got so much hate for acting on her feelings. she didn’t know hermione liked ron like how could she? yeah they shared a dorm but they weren’t particularly close for her to know that? and at this point hermione was still coming to term with her own feelings towards ron as well. she was treated horribly in the books and gets sm hate for no reason. honestly i don’t even ship romione that much due to the fact ron that IN THE MOVIES (not book ron) treated Hermione wrong for years.

omg luna is probably who i feel for the most. she was called loony throughout her school years because she had a creative mind?? because she “wasn’t like” the other kids?? i felt so bad for her she’s honestly one of my favorite characters. she never acted on anger, she treated everyone the same with kindness and care when half of those people were absolutely horrible to her. she watched her mother die and people still wanted to go out of her way to make her feel bad and she never let them get to her head that’s why i love her she’s one of the strongest characters in the series. i was so sad when her and neville didn’t end up together because he would’ve treated her like an absolute goddess.🥲

fluer is my second favorite after luna because this girl is so strong. bill absolutely loved her and ik it destroyed him when ginny and molly didn’t accept them together. i like to think ginny was just scared cause this meant her eldest brother would actually be leaving and yeah he left but this means he’s starting his new family and she was just scared but she did not have to act the way she did. molly on the other hand could literally burn. i don’t know if it’s just me but i’ve never liked her; to me she was always so picky and rude and i understand she was scared bill was rushing and wanted him to have a clear answer but she was HORRIBLE instead of understanding. fluer stood by bill even after his family treated her like shit and to find someone like that is hard she has so much of my respect

[tsukishimass]

eleventy7 never misses i swear to god. please please read 'Astra Inclinant' - it will be the best thing you'll ever do in your life. just. impeccable. i'm not even exaggerating. this is, by far, the best fic i've ever read. and it's so underrated. it should be one of the staples because oh my god its beautiful and perfect

[tulpafcker]

ghost trick spoilerz (in the tags too)

there were two entries on tvtropes- both clearly written by the same guy- absolutely shitting all over yomiel and saying that it didnt make sense that the game tried to make you feel sympathy for him because He Is Inexcusable. and one of those entries was on the headscratchers page (the one page people can argue on) and nothing brought me more joy than seeing every mother fucker gang up on and murder this guy from every direction at once

anyway i love u yomiel i too got my life stolen from me and now desire revenge. they dont understand u like i do. their soft hands have never known strife . but we are built different

[splendidissimus]

May 1998 - The Trial of Draco Malfoy

((Setup: Malfoys were temporarily taken to Azkaban after the Battle of Hogwarts, because it strains credulity that everything was organised and decisive enough at that point to be like "Okay, these Death Eaters are fine" that very morning. It would take a little bit to get things straightened out.))

((Content warning: serious humanitarian problems in the wizarding justice system))

Genre: whump

Romance level: none

Angst level: 4/5

Draco's headspace: depressed / fatalistic / self-loathing

((words: ~4000))

------------------------------------

An interminable amount of time after his mother was taken away and didn't come back, a guard pounding on the door startled Draco out of a doze, and made his father sit up quickly. 

"Draco Malfoy, come to the door," the guard ordered. He obeyed silently, and a spell bound his hands together with ropes, then the door was opened. He looked back at his father as he was taken out by the Auror, but the look was empty — neither of them had anything to say with it.

He thought about asking where they were going, but ultimately… it didn't matter, knowing wouldn't let him do anything about it, so he stayed quiet. 'Death Eaters didn't get to ask questions', after all. He didn't feel like hearing that. 

They passed through the heavy iron door and into the guard room, where the brightness of normal lights after the permanent dimness of he cells stung his eyes, and his escort stopped them. "Hands." He held them up, and then tried to turn away when the guard reached for his left sleeve, but he grabbed his arm and made him stay still while he rolled up that sleeve to fully expose the Dark Mark. Draco turned his face away from it. 

The insane idea that they were being taken away to be executed occurred to him again. It wasn't possible. But showing off the Dark Mark was what he would do if he wanted to execute someone without anyone having a problem with it. 

"Half an hour to drop this one off," his guard told the bored one manning the desk, and then escorted him down the long hall. 

The floo brought them back to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in the Ministry — he wouldn't be surprised if that was the only connection it had — and his guard had the witch at the desk there make some records. There was another pair of Aurors or guards there, and he was passed off while the Azkaban guard chatted up the secretary. It did not help that intrusive and increasingly urgent thought. 

They went down, further into the Ministry, and that didn't help the anxiety either. He looked searchingly at the guards, trying to discern anything, unconsciously slowing.

"You're not going to accomplish anything by keeping the Wizengamot waiting," said the guard behind him.

Wizengamot? He paused in mid-stride, resisting that idea — he wasn't remotely close to presentable. A week or so without a bath or a wand, still wearing his school clothes from the battle — he could still smell the smoke of the Fiendfyre in his clothes, there were grass stains from running from the Dementors, dried blood… Plus his lack of sleep. The state of his mind was a problem. If he'd expected to have to face court, he would have tried something so that he could focus, and not be… like this. 

The same Auror pushed him in the back to make him walk. "Move it, Malfoy. Time to face the music." 

He reluctantly followed to a court room on the second level. It gave him pause again when he saw inside — it was packed. He'd thought, maybe a tribunal, or a committee, but this wasn't a discreet hearing, this was a full trial. At least thirty witches and wizards in purple, members of the Wizengamot, some sat on the Council of Magical Law but surely many just observing, and more besides — he recognized the reporter Rita Skeeter, and the Auror Shacklebolt for some reason. His mother wasn't there. 

The room wasn't especially quiet, the one saving grace — it wasn't that he was walking into silence and rapt attention, but rather much of the room was in quiet conversation or the rustling of papers as they looked over notes. 

There was a lone chair in the centre of the room, bolted to the stone floor with chains wrapped around the arms, with the rows and rows of benches mounting above it so the court could look down on the accused. He was prodded over to it, his hands unbound from each other, then the chains snaked up and bound his arms tight to the chair. It was beyond humiliating, completely unnecessarily degrading… What did they think he was going to do, without a wand and in his physical state? Even more humiliating and unnecessary, the guard adjusted the chain afterward to make sure his Dark Mark was uncovered and turned out for everyone to see. He looked toward the corner of the floor and rising benches to his side, rather than meeting anyone's eyes. 

There was a knock far above as who he could only assume was the chief judge rapped on his bench for silence, and the room quieted down. "All right, we've all heard the evidence and witnesses, now it's time for the testimony of the accused. This court has determined the use of Veritaserum to be appropriate in this case…"

That made Draco look up, looking for the speaker, halfway up the room. Veritaserum? No, he couldn't — he didn't know what he would say, but there was certainly something in there that needed to stay there. He scrambled for a defence and could only come up with the truth. "I'm an Occlumens," he said. His voice felt rusty and he coughed a little to clear it. "It won't work." The truth to cover another truth, the fact that he wasn't certain he could control his mind enough to actually resist it right now, Occlumency or no. 

"Unusually forthcoming of you." Draco shrugged a little bit, looking away again, and jerked to a stiff stop — as his eyes went over the group, someone must have caught them, and decided to test him, to see if he was lying. He instinctively deflected the weak invasion and frowned at the audience to try to pick out the Legilimens. 

He didn't find them, but the judge raised a hand, and the guard Draco only now noticed bringing a cup turned back with an annoyed look on his face.

"This court has determined the use of Veritaserum would not be appropriate," the judge corrected for the record. "Draco Malfoy, you stand accused of being a Death Eater in service of Voldemort. Do you deny it?"

Hearing the name made him flinch, but he looked down at his arm. He'd avoided looking at that mark for about as long as he could remember. It was already fainter than it had been when the Dark Lord was alive, but he didn't think it would ever disappear, and he just wished it would. The skull looked like it was leering at him. "No," he admitted quietly. 

A different wizard in plum robes spoke up, younger, around his parents' age. "When did you receive the Dark Mark?"

Testing him, still, again. They'd be checking his answers against what they already knew to gauge how honest he was. He'd have to be very careful about any lies. He looked back up, though not at anyone in particular. "July 3, 1996." 

"So you were…"

"Sixteen," he confirmed, and it felt appropriate to add, "Just."

"And it was administered by…?"

"Him." 

"'Him'?"

He tried, because it would make him look like one of them, but he couldn't bring himself to actually say the name. The thought was as insane as thinking they were being executed, but his mind couldn't be convinced it wouldn't bring Him. He had to settle for "You Know Who," and looked away because he was not proud of that cowardice. 

"Who else was present?"

"All three Lestranges. Wormtail. Yaxley, on other business." He stopped, but because he knew they were testing him, he forced himself to be honest. "My mother." He told himself that she had already been released, she must have been, so that couldn't be used against her… 

"Were you willing?" the old wizard asked. 

Draco was silent for a moment, formulating his thoughts and looking generally toward the blank benches in front of him as he carefully worded the answer. "I was sixteen," he repeated. "My family was broken and He was angry with us. I thought I could help us by pleasing Him. I didn't realise He was doing it to punish… us." He generalised that 'us' instead of pointing out his father out of some sort of loyal instinct, to avoid putting attention on him, even though there was no one who wouldn't know what he meant.

"Were you willing?" he repeated firmly.

"…Yes," Draco admitted quietly. And that was it… he'd sealed his fate. Why hadn't he lied? Why hadn't he claimed Bellatrix forced him? That would have been believable. Maybe if he'd slept he would have been quick enough to seize that. But no… He was tired, physically and mentally but also just so tired of all of this fighting and hiding and lying for the Dark Lord, all this scheming that only led to more fear and failure, and so he admitted he intentionally got the Dark Mark, and that made him a Death Eater, and now he would be in Azkaban for the rest of his life. Why had he even been born if that was all there was? He started lifting his hand to run it through his hair, only to be reminded that they were chained, and he slumped in the chair instead. 

"Do you deny your part in the conspiracy to kill Albus Dumbledore?"

"Yes," he said absently, and there was a murmur and shuffling around the room, because Harry Potter knew what he had done, so they all knew. He didn't look at anyone. "'Conspiracy' implies more than one person, and there wasn't. Even the Death Eaters weren't supposed to know; the only ones who did were Snape and Bellatrix, and they weren't in on it. It was just me."

"And Gesserup Borgin."

"No. Maybe. He sold me stuff, gave me instructions for repairing the Vanishing Cabinet, but he's not the question-asking sort. But he knew who I was working for." He knew that was disorganised, but that felt like the inside of his brain right now. He couldn't get words to do what they were meant to. "I had to strongarm him into it."

"I see." There was a sound of making notes around the room. "Do you deny that as part of this conspiracy… plan… targeting Albus Dumbledore, you cast the Imperius Curse on Rosmerta Gaffey?"

"No." That word was another life sentence in Azkaban. 

A witch spoke up. "You were the one who cast it? Not your mother or another Death Eater?"

He looked up with slightly narrowed eyes. Trying to get him to blame his mother? What, did they not think a sixteen year old could cast a permanent Imperius? "No, it was me." Did they not already know? Another missed opportunity to blame something on Bellatrix instead… Though, he guessed, he found it hard to believe anyone who knew or knew of Bellatrix would believe she had the control for that, so that wouldn't have been a good lie anyway. 

"And through this, you are responsible for the Imperius Curse placed on Katherine Bell." 

"Yes." 

"And the use of a cursed artefact which grievously injured the same." 

"Yes." 

"And the use of an undetectable poison which grievously injured Ronald Weasley."

"If you say so. Slughorn shouldn't've kept it." Should he not have admitted that? Rosmerta wouldn't have any memory of it, so he could have denied it, but no, someone must know. Dumbledore had… which meant Harry Potter again. No, if he denied anything Harry Potter knew he would never be believed. 

Not that it really mattered.

"In that case—"

"Why?" a different juror interrupted. "If the plan was for Death Eaters to infiltrate the school, a plan which eventually succeeded, why resort to these scattershot methods, endangering other lives and drawing attention?"

He furrowed his brow faintly at the juror, then the group as a whole. He didn't think that looking for motivations was a normal question in these things. You get a criminal, get them to prove what they'd done, and you threw away the key. He already admitted that he had done it — that should be enough for the court. Why go further? Trying to make him look worse by pointing out how indiscriminately dangerous his actions had been? A personal need for some sort of logic in the world?

"When I was given the task," he said slowly, "it was very clear that failure would not be tolerated. Repairing the Vanishing Cabinet was harder than I expected, and by October he was already saying I was a failure like my father. He asked if I needed 'motivation'." He gripped the arms of the chair tightly. "He was in my house, with my mother. I had to be seen doing something." 

There was a quiet wave of rustling notes or murmuring around the room, like that description made people uncomfortable. Good. Having the Dark Lord in your house was extremely uncomfortable. 

"So naturally, you tried to kill your classmates." 

He looked away without reacting. 

The head judge knocked on his bench again to get the questioning back on track. "On the morning of May 3rd of this year, you were apprehended in Hogwarts after the battle against Voldemort's forces, despite having been instructed to evacuate the night before. Account for your whereabouts." 

"Hiding," he said quietly. 

"In more detail." The instruction sounded unamused. 

His ring clicked on the arm of the chair as he turned it with his thumb, staring straight ahead, too low to see anyone's face. "We stayed back because we thought we could find Harry Potter. There was Fiendfyre in the Room of Lost Things. I lost my wand… my mother's wand, there. Potter saved me; I ran away. Got separated from Goyle, because he wanted to fight and I wanted to get out. Attacked by a Death Eater; saved by Potter. Attacked by classmates — Macmiliian and Finnegan; ran away. Caught by Shacklebolt. Attacked by spiders; got out and ran away. Hid in the dungeons. Found by a Death Eater; Nott, I think. Knocked him out and ran away. Saw an Auror, Tonks… my cousin��� killed by Bellatrix… our aunt… ran away. Tried to get out of the castle grounds, swarmed by Dementors…" 

He trailed off for a moment, unable to hold off a memory of that soul-pervading despair, that certainty that his family was dead and there was no hope. It had been so overwhelming but he was finding it didn't feel so different from… now. His father was going to be in Azkaban for the rest of his life, and so was he, and his mother would never see either of them again. Knowing that was what he had to look forward to, what his family had to look forward to… why bother? 

"Saved by a ghost," he said distantly. "Ran away. Gave up and waited for Him to come kill me. Then my parents found me." 

So he guessed his answer wasn't accurate. He wasn't hiding for the whole battle, he spent it running away, over and over, from everything. He couldn't even look at it with the satisfaction of surviving like a rat… running away hadn't kept him alive. He had to be saved time after time, by Potter, Myrtle, his parents… Useless.

It was silent for a minute, but he barely noticed. He tried lifting his arms again without thinking about it, wanting to pull his robe tighter, cross his arms, get warm. But it wasn't really about the warmth. He felt exposed and wanted to hide, helpless and wanted to take back at least that much control. And he couldn't. 

"You were looking for Harry Potter?" one of the judges prompted.

Right. He looked toward a corner of the floor uncomfortably. "Crabbe thought we could capture him." And that was so stupid it would be funny if it weren't tragic. The one thing that looked like an obvious lie — that one of his 'little lackeys' was the one behind the decision to go capture Harry Potter — was actually the truth. It looked like such a transparent attempt to shift blame onto a conveniently dead patsy, he wouldn't even believe himself. "It seemed like a better idea than having to go fight for Him or be called a traitor for staying with the other students." 

But he knew what they heard, because he heard it too. He had been trying to capture Harry Potter for the Dark Lord, even there at the final battle, and he admitted it. Death Eater. It was what his arm said. It was what his actions said. He tried turning his arm to cover it because he hated it staring at him. 

"We've heard the evidence, witness testimonies, and now statement by the accused. It's time for this court to make our decision." 

There was an eerie silence broken only by the scratching of quills as the judges and jurors penned opinions. Parchment was passed up the benches to the judge's panel, and papers rustled as they were read over. It seemed to stretch out for years. Draco wasn't really thinking anything, just looking at a corner and imagining what his cell in Azkaban would be like. He assumed he'd have his own now. Alone. For the rest of his life… For however long he could make himself keep eating when there was no point… 

Finally, the judge cleared his throat. "Draco Malfoy, by the authority of this committee of the Wizengamot," he said, "in the matter of all charges brought here today, you are pardoned and free to go." 

He heard the words, but for a long moment, his mind still insisted they meant 'sentenced to life in Azkaban', and he stared blankly at the judge. People started talking, Rita Skeeter's piercing voice the highest among them, but he didn't really understand any of them. "It's not the Ministry's position," Shacklebolt commented, weirdly out of turn, "to condemn frightened children for their family's choices." He frowned at him, because he didn't appreciate that characterisation, or know why he felt qualified to make the statement in the first place, but then the chains slithered away from his arms and took his attention. He rubbed his sore arms to get warmth back into them, hesitating a second before rolling his sleeve back down and covering the Dark Mark.

One of the guards was holding the door open, and he looked around the room one more time before he pushed himself out of the chair and went that way. Just like that. It was as blindsiding as hearing the Dark Lord was dead — it didn't make sense, to go instantly from looking at a life alone in a cold cell to being free to go. 

"Come on." They stopped for Draco to sign some papers he didn't read, then the guard led him to the lift, and sent it to the lobby. Draco rode in silence, robe tucked close around him, looking distantly at the memos flapping over their heads. 

At the lobby, the guard didn't exit the lift, but indicated for him to. Then it was gone. Draco stood blankly to the side of the closed door, just taking in the flowing crowd moving in the patterns of humanity around the fountain, to the halls, stairs, lifts, and entrances, creating whorls and eddies as they stopped to talk, a dam up when a harried wizard's rolls of parchment burst out of his arms and people had to move around him. He didn't feel like he belonged there as part of it. 

But he had to get through them to get home. Eventually, he finally moved, slowly taking that first step to become part of them again and joining the flow until it deposited him at the short queue for the floos, and in a couple minutes he was taking the floo back home.

The spinning of the floo made him dizzy, and he clung onto the mantel on the other side, looking at his home and trying to reorient himself. The drawing room was quiet. It also wasn't covered in blood or shattered crystal, and there were no Death Eaters or giant snakes… He just stood there in front of the fire for several minutes, letting its warmth try to get into his bones, looking at the room, back to how it was supposed to be, and the view of the garden fountain out the front window, and the glimpses of the drizzling clouds that was the first confirmation that the outside world still existed he had seen in… how long? 

He'd expected to feel better, or at least less complicated. There was that niggling feeling below the level of conscious thought in the back of his head that kept whispering about the Death Eaters or dead bodies that could surface around any corner. That Bellatrix was lurking here in her rooms like she had been for the last three years. That they were waiting for Him to come.

But they weren't. The Dark Lord was dead, Bellatrix was dead, the Death Eaters were dead or in Azkaban, and he was free. 

'Free'. That was a weird word. He was actually free? Not just out of Azkaban, but…? 

He heard the rush of the fire as the floo activated again behind him, and he backed away from it, suddenly wary although he knew it should be safe. It was his mother who stepped out, obviously, because who else would it be, and he felt stupid, but his heart was still too fast.

"They didn't tell me," she said at once. She was furious — he could sense it in her voice and subtle tells in her expression — but it wasn't at him, and she hugged him tightly. His tenseness drained away and he leaned his head on her shoulder with a shaky sigh, holding her arm.

It was unusually hard to speak, but he pushed through it as she finally let him go. "Whatever you did, thank you." 

She shook her head. "I have been at the Ministry, but the new regime is not receptive. They want to appear 'just'." 

"I don't know why they let me go, then…" he said with a distant frown. "I heard what I said. I should be in there for three lifetimes, if they're that incorruptible." 

"If you don't understand, then I don't think you heard yourself properly." She ran her hand over his hair and cheek and then stepped back. "Your wand is in your room." 

He blinked a couple times. "How?"

"Harry Potter sent it back." 

Oh. Huh. All right. "Well… good." He held his hands toward the fire — it was May… it was still May, wasn't it? … and he was freezing — and absently noticed the soot under his fingernails. "I need a bath." 

"Yes," she agreed. "Then you are going to Saint Mungo's." 

He turned his face away from that idea. "I just need to sleep." 

She eyed him critically, then nodded permission. 

He got himself moving, but paused in the doorway and looked back to her. "Rita Skeeter was there," he remembered.

"I'll handle it." She nodded to send him on up. 

The house elf had already drawn a hot bath and set out a dreamless sleep potion by the time he got to his room. He stopped to get his wand from where it was sitting beside his bed, though, and tested it out by wordlessly levitating some things in the room to make sure it still worked for him like normal. He relaxed when he didn't feel any difference… Having a wand finally made him feel like a person again.

[dracolizardlars]

how I started out when running Tumblr poll brackets: "ok I'm gonna be impartial on the poll blogs I choose to be an impartial party in the results"

how it's going:

[drakey-wakey]

looks at leftist twitter for a moment and gets swamped in fucking KYLR politics

looks away from twitter

[realitybitesyouknowit]

Reuniting? Dividing? The wizarding world is a Chaotic place. The war is over...or is it? Bit of a AU, featuring a Darkish Fem!HP/SS. Warning- bit of violence, bashing, a touch of smut, and character death. Rated M, just in case. COMPLETE