Unofficial Portkey Archive

Chapter 13 - The Law Nr. 50/A3

"Good morning, Professor Snape… Thank you for staying with Cassie, we really don't want to put her in danger at the Ministry of Magic!" Ginny said, opening the door to the old Potions teacher, a month later.

"It's fine, Mrs. Malfoy…" he grunted, going to the living room, where Draco was trying to put Cassie's shoes on her moving feet.

"Cassie, stop moving your feet! I'm trying to…" Draco complained, but was interrupted by Cassie's girlish scream.

"Sevvie!" she yelled, running to Snape's arms, hugging him around his neck as he lifted her off the ground.

"Hello, Cassandra! You look beautiful in this blue dress!" Snape said, with a surprisingly soft and gentle voice.

"Thank you, Sevvie! Will you play with me today?" she asked, excitedly.

"Yes, I will…" he smiled at Cassie, and then turned a serious face to his old students. "Have you found out anything else about her ability?"

"Yes, she saw something that happened 12 years ago, in this house, but she hasn't had any visions since then… I believe she's starting to control her power!" Ginny explained, caressing Cassie's face. "My baby is quite a strong lady!"

"Mommy, I'm not a baby!" Cassie complained, with a frown. "I'm a big girl, now!"

"You'll always be my baby, Cassie!" Ginny laughed, kissing her daughter's cheek. "Now, Daddy and I have to go to a meeting and you'll stay with Uncle Sevvie, ok?"

"Professor, there's food in the kitchen and if you need anything, you know where we will be!" Draco said, taking Ginny's hand in his.

"Don't worry… We'll be fine!" Snape replied, placing Cassie in Draco's arms.

"Goodbye, darling… Be a good girl, ok?" Draco said, kissing her nose.

"Yes, Daddy!" she giggled, kissing his nose in return.

"I love you, Blondie!" Ginny whispered in Cassie's ear.

"I love you too, Mommy!"

Draco placed Cassie on the floor, and with a loud pop, the couple Disapparated to the Ministry of Magic.

Today, was the day… They were going on court to try and prove what Fudge had done to their family and other families.

The courtroom was built on stone, and was extremely cold and damp, just like the Dungeons at Hogwarts. The room was full of people who came to assist to the trial, including reporters and the couple's friends and family.

"Ginny, oh darling, how are you?" Molly Weasley yelled, trying to reach her daughter, but the Aurors didn't let her.

"I'm ok, Mum… We're all ok, don't worry! Go back to your seat and we'll talk later, ok?" Ginny replied, with a gentle smile.

"Ginny, come on, we have to take our seats… The trial is going to start, now!" Padma Patil warned, leading them to a small desk with three chairs.

"Draco, I hope everything ends well!" Ginny whispered in his ear, while the Wizengamot entered the courtroom, led by Dumbledore.

"Don't worry, Gin… Just keep your temper under control and don't let their lies affect you…" Draco warned her, kissing her forehead, before the trial began.

"Good morning, my name is Andre Johnson, and I'm Minister Fudge's lawyer…" a bald man said, coming to stand in front of the Wizengamot. "And, today, I'll prove to all of you, how Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy are trying to destroy the name of our well respected and loved by all, Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge!"

Hearing this, a big part of the public started to laugh, but Dumbledore held a hand up, and they all stopped laughing.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, my name is Padma Patil, and I'm the Malfoy's lawyer!" Padma said with a beautiful smile on her face, as she stood in front of the public. "We all know what the Malfoys want to prove today, and you may be sure that I'm going to help them do that! About our dear and beloved Minister Cornelius Fudge, I would like to remind my colleague, Mr. Johnson, that on court, the social status worth nothing… Today, on that chair, you are working for Cornelius Fudge, the citizen… Not the Minister of Magic!"

The public clapped her speech, and she went back to her seat, next to her clients.

"Mr. Johnson, you may begin!" Dumbledore said.

"Thank you… I call Miss Pansy Parkinson to witness!" the lawyer said, surprising the public and the Malfoys.

A door on the right of the room opened, and Pansy Parkinson came in, surrounded by Aurors.

Draco came closer to Padma, and whispered something in her ear. Padma smiled brightly and nodded her head in agreement.

"Draco, what's going on? Why is she here? I thought she was dead or in Azkaban!" Ginny complained, tightening her grip on his hand.

"She's in Azkaban, and I'm sure she's about to lie to the Wizengamot! Let's see what they are trying to do…" Draco explained, and turned his head to the witnesses' bench, where Pansy Parkinson smiled brightly and waved to the reporter's cameras.

"Miss Parkinson, how did you meet Draco Malfoy?" Johnson asked.

"Our families have been friends for many years and we used to play together at my house… Then, when we went to Hogwarts we were both sorted to Slytherin!" she explained, still smiling.

"And, when did you two became more than friends?" the lawyer inquired.

"When we were 16 years-old, on our 6^th year at Hogwarts…" she replied, winking at Draco, who just scowled.

"So, for how long have you kept that relationship?"

"Well, we didn't have a relationship… We just shagged once in a while!" she said, running a hand through her hair.

"And for how long did it last?"

"Until Draco met that Weasel, a few years ago…" she sneered, looking at Ginny with distaste. "I've tried to get him back, but he ignored me and my attempts…"

"But what happened after he got married?" Johnson insisted.

"Draco started to come to my place, on a daily basis, and we went back to our old days of shagging…" Pansy smiled widely, wanting to see Ginny's reaction to her words. Slowly, the smile disappeared from her face, when she saw that Ginny was smiling back with amusement in her eyes.

"So, that day when the Ministry Aurors attacked your house, what truly happened to Draco Malfoy?"

"Draco warned me that they were going to attack, and I ran to the Manor Dungeons, and went to a secret room, where Draco would meet me, as soon as he had the chance!" she lied once again. "He came to me, and told me that Fudge had allowed him to stay with me and to declare him as dead…"

"How did he get the Cornelius Fudge to agree with that?"

"He placed the Imperious Curse on him, of course!" she sneered.

"So, as you all can see, Draco Malfoy left his wife and daughter on purpose… He wanted to remain with Pansy Parkinson! And on top of that, he placed an illegal curse on his superior!" Johnson smiled widely, thinking that he was on the winning side. "That's all from me…"

Padma slowly walked to the Witnesses' bench, and turned around to face Dumbledore with a huge smile.

"Members of the Wizengamot, I wish to implement the Law nr. 50/A3…" Padma said, loud and clear. Dumbledore smiled and nodded his approval, while Johnson searched in his law book for the said law.

When he finally found it and read it, his face turned white and his eyes got huge.

"You can't implement that law!" he yelled, furiously.

"Why not, dear colleague?" Padma asked, trying hard not to laugh at his scared face.

"Because… This is not a Prisoner's trial!" he spat back, unsurely. "This law serves only for trials when the accused his a Prisoner… Miss Parkinson is only a witness!"

"Correction, Mr. Johnson, this law says: `Whenever a Prisoner stands to witness on trial, the opponents have the right to order that a Veritaserum potion is given to the prisoner…'. So, she's a witness and she'll be given the Veritaserum right now!" Padma said, with a glorious smile.

"But… You can't…" he complained, furiously.

"Mr. Johnson, is there a problem? If Miss Parkinson has been saying the truth, than she can drink the potion and repeat everything we heard until now!" Dumbledore said, with a knowing smile. When Johnson didn't answer, Dumbledore ordered to the Aurors to bring a vial of Veritaserum and make Pansy drink it.

Five minutes later, Pansy was under the effect of the Truth Potion, to last for one hour.

The real trial was about to begin…

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