Unofficial Portkey Archive

Chapter 14 - Wonderful Witnesses

"Miss Parkinson, can you please tell me your full name and your relation with the Dark Magic?" Padma asked coldly.

"Pansy Prieta Parkinson, and I'm a Death Eater…" the girl said in a mechanic voice. She was clearly under the Veritaserum's effect.

"Please, tell me Miss Parkinson, how did you meet Draco Malfoy?" Padma asked, using the same questions Johnson had 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, in an empty voice.

"That is correct… So, I understand that you two had something more than friendship going on at some point?" Padma inquired.

"Yes, we've slept together whenever Draco was feeling bored or furious…" Pansy said.

"And when did those meetings stop?" Padma asked, sitting on her chair.

"About 3 years ago… I hadn't seen him for a while and we met in a restaurant, and he was with the Weasel… He said he didn't want to see me!" Pansy sobbed, starting to cry.

"And after he started to become involved with Virginia Weasley, did you two have any kind of relation?" Padma said, looking at Johnson and Fudge, who were pale with worry.

"I went to his apartment once, and he was very angry and he kissed me, but then he threw me out and I've never seen him again until the day they attacked my Manor!" Pansy replied, still crying.

"So, you two never had anything going on after Draco met Virginia Weasley… What happened the day he attacked your house, along with the other Aurors?" Padma asked loudly.

"We were having a Death-Eaters meeting and we were shocked with the attack… Everyone started fighting and luckily I got to fight with Draco… He never saw me because I had my hood on, and when the pit opened, I pushed him. If I couldn't have him, no one would!" Pansy replied, coldly, stopping her tears.

"You weren't involved with Draco, you hadn't seen him for a long time, you weren't going to run away with him, and he never told you anything about placing an Unforgivable on Cornelius Fudge?"

"No…" was the simple reply.

Everyone on the public gasped in surprise with the testimony.

"Using my colleague's words: As you all can see, Draco Malfoy did not leave his wife and daughter on purpose… He wanted to remain with his family, the ones he truly loves! And he did not menace Cornelius Fudge, and he never placed an illegal curse on his superior!" Padma smiled happily, winking at her clients. "It's an absurd that Mr. Johnson and Mr. Fudge brought a Death-Eater on this court to lie, on purpose…"

"Miss Parkinson, you are dismissed and the Aurors will take you back to Azkaban!" Dumbledore said his usual calm voice.

"Mr. and Mrs. from the Wizengamot I truly didn't know that our witness was lying… I'm incredibly shocked with what I've just heard!" Johnson lied with a fake sad face.

"Mr. Johnson, I do believe you know what you've done, and I'm glad that the truth was stronger than the little game you've played… Do try to be fair on this trial, as you know the Wizengamot is not a bunch of dumb wizards." Dumbledore warned him with a cold stare. "Please, proceed…"

"Very well, I call Mr. Chester Sinclair, the Aurors' Captain, to testify…" Johnson said, standing up.

Chester came in the courtroom and went to his seat.

"Mr. Sinclair, can you please tell us what's your relation with Draco Malfoy?" the lawyer asked.

"Draco Malfoy was one of my Aurors." Chester said, looking at his ex-Auror.

"And what happened on the day you attacked the Parkinson Mansion?"

"He fell on a pit and we couldn't open it to retrieve his body…" Chester said, in a well-trained cold voice.

"So, what happened? When did you find that Draco Malfoy was alive?" Johnson asked, smiling evilly.

"Two days after the attack, I've receive a Floo call and it was Draco asking for help." Chester explained, truthfully.

"And did Minister Fudge meet Draco Malfoy when you took him to a Healer?" Johnson asked with a smug smile.

"No." Chester lied, although his face remained blank.

"Liar!" Draco yelled furiously, standing up from his seat.

"Draco, please, that won't help us… Calm down!" Ginny whispered in his ear, trying to calm him down. "Please, calm down…"

"Mr. Malfoy, I hope you don't disturb my witnesses again!" Johnson smiled happy with Draco's behaviour. "So, Minister Fudge never met Draco Malfoy… What happened then? Why didn't Draco Malfoy return to his family?"

"He said he wanted to use his fake death to destroy the Death-Eaters without them knowing…" Chester replied, looking at Draco.

"Thank you for your testimony, Mr. Sinclair!" Johnson said sitting next to Fudge, both looking victorious.

"Good morning Mr. Sinclair… May I please ask you, how would you evaluate Draco Malfoy's service as an Auror?" Padma asked, standing in front of Chester with a beautiful smile.

"Draco Malfoy is one of the best Aurors I've ever met… He and Harry Potter were the best ones we had." Chester replied, smiling as well.

"Oh, isn't that great to know?" Padma smiled to the public. "And, when you saved him from the Parkinson's Mansion, what happened?"

"We took him to a Healer, and we've kept him under watch to make sure everything was ok…" Chester replied.

"So, there was always an Auror with him?"

"Yes, there were three of us and we had shifts." Chester explained.

"So, do you have a report of each shift?" Padma asked softly.

Chester's face became serious and he looked at Fudge, who was looking worried once again.

"No…" Chester said, truthfully.

"But, the law says that each Auror must present a report of each work he does… Why didn't you write the reports on this case?" Padma asked, surprised.

"We were ordered no to write them…"

"Oh, is that right? And may I ask who ordered that?" she asked, looking directly at Fudge with a smile.

"I'm under an Oath…" Chester replied, shaking his head.

"Mr. Chester, I'm sure you know that the one of the Aurors rules is, always tell the truth before your superiors? You are on a court room, in front of the highest jury of them all, the Wizengamot, and you say you are under an Oath?" Padma laughed softly. "I'm sure that a simple Oath worth nothing before the Wizengamot!"

"We were ordered by…" Chester started, but Johnson interrupted.

"I want recess…" Johnson yelled, furiously.

"Mr. Johnson, I'm sure we all would love to drink a nice warm cup of tea, but right now, we'll listen Mr. Sinclair until the end!" Dumbledore smiled, and waved a hand at Chester to continue.

"Minister Fudge went to the Healer's house and ordered us to keep everything in secrecy… Then he went to talk with Draco Malfoy and when he left, I was the one to enter Draco's room and he was crying!" Chester spilled the whole truth, looking down at his hands, ashamed of what he had done to one of his best Aurors. "Draco was crying because Fudge made him work under cover… He told me that he was forbidden of returning to his family and he asked me to meet Ginny and tell her the truth, that he was ok, and he would return as soon as possible."

"And why didn't you do that? Why didn't you tell Virginia?" Padma asked, looking furious for the first time that morning.

"I wasn't allowed… As soon as Draco's mission ended he came back to his family and I was ordered to dismiss him from the Auror Corporation." Chester sighed, sadly.

"So, all this situation was caused by Cornelius Fudge, truth or false?" Padma asked loudly, turning around to face the public.

"Truth!" Chester yelled, and then looked at Draco and Ginny. "I'm sorry I did that, Draco… I'm so sorry! But you know how it works! Always obey to your Minister… I'm so sorry!"

Draco nodded his head, and then proceeded to hug his wife.

"Everything will be alright, Ginny… I love you." He whispered against her lips.

"I love you too…" she smiled, happily.

"Very well, Mr. Johnson do you want to call anymore witnesses?" Dumbledore asked, standing up.

"No sir…" Mr. Johnson replied, not bothering to look up.

"Miss Patil?" Dumbledore smiled at Padma.

"I think I won't be needing my witnesses, Headmaster… Mr. Johnson had wonderful and cooperative witnesses!" Padma smiled, and the public laughed.

"Very well… The Wizengamot is going to make a decision and will be back at 2 p.m.." with this said, Dumbledore and the Wizengamot left the courtroom.

As soon as they left, the whole public screamed with happiness, and started to yell furiously at Fudge who was smacking Johnson's head with a huge volume of the Wizarding World's Laws…

"You idiot! You are an incompetent! Look what you've done!" Fudge yelled at the top of his lungs, as he kept on smacking Johnson's head.

Everyone laughed and ran to shake Draco's hands and kiss Ginny's cheeks.

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