[HP] Three thousand days of innocence

"If all the evidence has been presented," Kingsley said, flipping through the files. "Then the Wizengamot will rule."

Ginny clenched her hands on her knees.Her heart was beating fast, as if it was about to jump out of her chest, and a drop of sweat slid down her back.Draco, who was not far away, gasped heavily, blinking his eyes to hold back tears.It's time - the moment of truth.This moment will change their lives irrevocably.

"Anyone who thinks Draco Malfoy is guilty please raise your hand," Kingsley called.

They didn't hesitate.All the wizards and wizards of the Wizengamot raised their hands.

"No!" Ginny yelled, getting up.Her anger was like a deadly tide. "You can't do this!"

"We can, Miss Weasley," Kingsley said. "We have made the final decision. Draco Malfoy, you have been sentenced to life in Azkaban with a chance of parole after 80 years. May God forgive your soul."

"You can't do this!" she yelled again, running towards Draco.She didn't know why; maybe she thought she could take him away, get out of here, and start over.Desperately trying to break free from the chains, he reached out to her, but two burly, expressionless guards blocked his way.They were going to take him away from her.

"Ginny!" he cried, scowling in fear. "Don't let them do that!"

"Draco! Draco!"

Ginny woke up to the sound of her own voice, she was drenched in sweat and the sheets tangled around her body.Relieved to find herself alone in the darkened apartment, she sank back on the pillow, shivering.She looked at the alarm clock—it was just after four in the morning.She had only slept for less than an hour, and she doubted she would ever get back to sleep.If she still had nightmares like just now.

She was still shaking.She got out of bed, took her dressing gown, and walked softly into her small kitchen.Her mum always made her a cup of tea whenever she was upset, and Ginny was going to do that now.She felt that making tea would calm her down so she could start preparing for the next day's trial.

When Colin's body turned up in court that day, for a moment, Ginny really thought that no matter what she did, Draco was going to Azkaban.The evidence was before them, irrefutable.Hermione's casual legal training, however, keeps Ginny sane.

"This all proves that Narcissa Malfoy's wand is a murder weapon," she defended. "In Ms Sanderson's own words, we are not sure who killed Colin Creevey."

Of course, Harper's theory came as Ginny expected: Narcissa's wand, he said, was unlikely to change hands in the heat of battle. "And," he said, "after the battle, Mrs. Malfoy came home with the wand intact. How else would she get it back? It was probably given to her directly—by her son, after his After using it to brutally kill one of his classmates."

The court proceedings that followed were less intense than they had begun.Ginny showed Borginbock's receipt, proving that Draco hadn't bought the Hand of Glory and the opal necklace he'd used in sixth year.The receipt shows that Lucius purchased them for an unknown purpose.When she provided this information, Lucius pouted, but said nothing.After all, proving that Draco wasn't the owner of these cursed items meant that he couldn't legally be accused of possessing them, only that he had access to them.Seeing the convinced expression on Kingsley's face, Ginny had reason to believe that the accusation would be dismissed.

Another charge that she believed would be dealt with properly was conspiracy, which she found through her research to be absurd from the start.Draco did not actively participate in any plan - a key element to prove in the conspiracy case - but did so under extreme duress. "Extreme coercion" seemed to be the theme of the day, and Hermione told her that most of the charges against Draco could be defended that way.He didn't actually want to do what he did, and that was the most important thing.It also covers a number of other allegations: that he let Death Eaters enter Hogwarts to endanger minors, and that he cast the Imperius Curse on Ms Rosmerta to give her the necklace to Katie Bell.

Ginny brought the tea to her small table, holding the steaming cup in both hands, smelling the warm mint aroma.In a few hours it would be Harper's turn to present evidence to the Wizengamot, and Ginny was, of course, worried about how things were going.On the list he handed her and the Wizengamot, Padma Patil, Dennis Creevey, Katie Bell and Harry were key witnesses, along with Yaxley's account of Colin's death. memory.Lestrange's memory has been expunged from the records, and he was sent back to Azkaban in a state that is now too out of balance to testify.

These pieces of evidence are all meant to pack an emotional punch.Ginny couldn't hope to get the upper hand with her shop receipts.

One omission on the list, however, baffled her.While there was an allegation related to Ron's poisoning, Ron's name was not seen on any documents Ginny received from the prosecution or the Wizengamot.She didn't know what that meant, and she hadn't had a chance to ask Ron himself.

After drinking the tea, Ginny's hands were still shaking from the dream she had just had.She was full of restless and angry energy, squirming under her skin, as if her limbs had fallen asleep, and simply sitting at the table was not helping.She looked at the clock on the wall. 04:30.It was still dark, but dawn was coming soon.She knew exactly how she would spend the morning before the court session.

At the end of Diagon Alley was a park - if one could walk all the way to the end - and Ginny would sometimes fly around with her broom, to clear her head and get some fresh air.Most British wizards prefer to go to the park outside Hogsmeade, which means that there are hardly any people on this little moor in London at any given time.When she wants to be alone, this is the perfect place for her.

But half an hour later, when Ginny walked into the Sinclair Moor in the pre-dawn chill, dressed in warm and comfortable clothes, with Sweeping Eleven on her shoulders, she found she was not alone.A small figure floated lazily past her on a broomstick.The man must have seen her, for the figure stopped and flew towards her.Ginny walked forward, wondering who this man was.

She recognized Harry at a distance, as the moonlight briefly fell on his National Medical glasses.He got off the broom gracefully and walked over to her.

"I can't sleep either," he told her, breathing into his hands to warm them up.

"You?" Ginny said, raising her eyebrows. "I thought you had high ideals and a self-righteous attitude that would keep you warm at night. Not to mention Romilda Vaughan."

Harry glared at her and ran his hands through his tangled hair—a move that had driven her crazy when she was 12. "Believe it or not, I mean it," he said impatiently. "I know I've been a little stingy these last few weeks—"

Ginny snorted.

"You have to see it from my point of view," he insisted. "Draco Malfoy is a badass. The first time I met him 15 years ago, the last time I saw him at the Battle of Hogwarts."

"It's been eight years," said Ginny. "People change, Harry."

"There are some things you can forgive, and some things you can never forget. Malfoy has done many things that I will never forget. You should know better than anyone."

"That's not him, that's Lucius," she said angrily. "You—you testified eight years ago that Lucius and Narcissa were released. Why have you changed your mind now?"

"I'm for her," said Harry flatly. "She lied to Tom Riddle and helped me. And she's dead now."

Ginny rolled her eyes, but he continued, "You know what that looks like, don't you? You, an upright Auror, throwing away career and family allegiance - throwing away everything you've ever known - To defend a man accused of murder and hated by the public. You are charmed by him."

She smiled hollowly. "I'm a stupid little girl again, aren't I?" she said. "Little Ginny, you need someone to take care of you."

He walked up to her and held out his hands. "Give it up, Kim," he said softly.Harry hadn't called her that in years.She hated the way it sounded. "I'll give you back your job in the Auror office. Everything will go back to the way it was."

The wary and shy Ginny - as she had been for years - was seduced by the offer.It's so tempting.She's doing a great job - why give up?The salary is not bad, maybe a raise next year.Her co-workers are friendly; they don't cause her any trouble.Harry had bugged her before, but he had a new girlfriend now.Romilda would not let him pester her again.

Then, Ginny seemed to hear a Muggle recording, and heard what she said to Draco in the ward: You are mine - I will not let others have you.

Her protectiveness and love for him surged back, drowning out old Ginny's protests.Taking the safe route would be tantamount to stepping back and undermining the small strides she's made toward restarting her life and taking control of her own destiny.What would her life be like if she had no one to share it with?Harry could give her anything in the world - but it would mean nothing if Draco wasn't by her side.

She shook her head at him. "That's what makes us most different, Harry," she said. "I can see how people change and accept those changes. I can forgive people who have sincerely apologized and are willing to repent, even for the worst crimes. You never give anyone a second chance."

He smiled oddly at her. "You used to be so stubborn," he said. "I think I forgot."

"If you're done talking, just leave," she said quietly. "We are opposing sides of the criminal trial and should not be talking to each other."

He nodded in agreement. "Good luck," he said, and stepped into the darkness.

Ginny sighed and took to the sky.Most people had changed, but Harry hadn't, and she wondered if he would.But he was someone else's problem now, not hers.So Ginny continued to fly, not wasting any more thoughts on him.

A few hours later, Ginny put on her best clothes, took the case files, and sat down at the defense table in the courtroom again.Harper looked very confident and was already sitting at the prosecution table, drinking tea leisurely.Ginny frowned at him, then turned to sorting out the documents she needed to cross-examine the witnesses.

This time, there were more people in the stands: as Percy promised, his and her father were there, and so was Ron.Molly, George, Bill and Victoire sat with them.A few rows behind them though, sat an uneasy Katie Bell, with Oliver Wood putting his arm around her shoulders, whispering something in her ear, but Ginny couldn't think of what it was.Padma and Parvati Patil sat on the other side of the aisle, looking serious and dignified.Sensing Ginny's gaze, Parvati turned her nostrils to the sky and looked away.Dennis Creevey sat with his parents, looking very mature, his mother flushed from crying.Ginny was thankful she wasn't there when her son's body was revealed yesterday.Like yesterday, both Lucius and John came.Simon didn't show up, and Ginny figured he must have gone to work, since it was a working day.

Either that or he doesn't want to face his father again.Ginny couldn't blame him for that.

On the floor in front of the Wizengamot stand, there is a strange-looking device with a projector lens at one end-the picture eye.For Yaxley to show his memory of that terrible night in court.

This court session was less rowdy than last time, which made Ginny very happy.Escorted into court, Draco sat quietly in his chair while the Wizengamot called and Kingsley outlined the day's schedule.Ginny didn't pay much attention - until Kingsley stopped, frowning at the roll of parchment in front of him.

"Attention, the Wizengamot," he said slowly, "one charge against Mr. Malfoy has been dropped."

Both Ginny and Draco looked up in surprise.How is this going……

"The following allegations have been expunged from the record," Kingsley announced. "Draco Malfoy is no longer responsible for the attempted murder of Ron Weasley. The victim has dropped his case against the accused and has not sought an external resolution."

Ginny stared at Ron, who was sitting in the stands, dumbfounded.With so many people looking at him, his face flushed and he squirmed in his seat.Molly beside him gasped loudly and looked over at him.Ron leaned over and whispered something in Molly's ear.Ginny really wanted to know what he was telling her.

It's incredible.Now only eight charges remain.

Then, before she knew it, Harper stood up and called Padma Patil to the witness stand.

Padma stood up slowly, and Ginny saw Parvati squeeze her hand before she left.She walked down the steps in silence and sat in the same chair that Lucius and Simon had sat the day before.

"Miss Patil," Harper said softly. "Please describe to the court what happened to you on the night of the last battle at Hogwarts."

Padma sighed, and Ginny immediately frowned.Surely the Wizengamot could see that this was a well-planned show, right? "It was so chaotic that night," Padma said. "My sister and I tried to stay together, but a Death Eater blew up a wall near us and we separated. I was looking for her when I bumped into Draco Malfoy."

"Then what happened, Miss Patil?" Harper whispered.

Padma looked away, seemingly fighting back tears. "He saw who I was and pointed his wand at me," she continued. "I don't know what to do. Everyone knows he's related to the Death Eaters, and he's probably the Death Eater. I'm terrified, and I just stare at him."

Out of the corner of her eye Ginny saw something moving, and she turned to look.It was Draco, who looked like he was going to throw up.His face was pale, and his cheek was pressed against the back of the chair, avoiding the probing eyes of Padma and the Wizengamot.

"I begged him to let me go," Padma said. "I begged him to let me go and find my sister. He just looked at me and he -- he put a jinx on me."

Ginny slightly raised her eyebrows, her heart full of hope.Is this charge related to jinx?Merlin, if that's the case, then all her brothers, including Percy, would have been sent to Azkaban long ago.

Harper shook his head. "Did the jinx leave any lasting damage?"

Padma nodded. "I still have nightmares of him pointing his wand at me. I've been taking dreamless potions and therapy for years."

After Harper asked a few more questions, it was Ginny's turn to grill her, and Ginny smiled at Padma.She had always disliked the Patil twins; at Hogwarts, they had irritated her with their silly gossip and obsession with make-up and boys.Who would have thought that Lavender Brown would eventually get rid of these problems, but her friends did not?

Ginny asked bluntly, "What jinx did Draco Malfoy cast on you?"

Padma hesitated, then shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "I haven't heard it before."

"Can you describe how you felt at the time?"

"It's like—little needles stuck all over my body."

Padma shivered exaggeratedly.

"The Wasp Curse," Ginny said firmly. "How long has this feeling lasted?"

"A long time," Padma said.Her disguise was starting to crumble.

"For the sake of the court, how long?"

"I can't tell."

"Chief wizard, witness—"

"Seconds! Seconds."

"Before that night, were you under a curse?"

"Passed."

"under what conditions?"

"Defense Against the Dark Arts class."

"Have you been under the curse long enough to feel something before you resist the spell?"

"Yes."

"Name a jinx you felt in class."

"Stinging Curse."

"Stinging Curse?" Ginny raced through her research on the case in her mind. "But according to the Barton Hierarchy, this spell hurts a lot more than the Wasp. Has the person who cast you the Stinging Curse been charged with a crime?"

"No." Padma replied with a smile on her face.

Ginny turned to look at Kingsley. "Chief Wizard, this is a waste of the Wizengamot's time," she said. "This witness was clearly trained by Harper's lawyers to answer questions in a particular way and to exaggerate the facts—"

"Trust me, Weasley, I agree," Kingsley cut her off. "Miss Patil, in Merlin's name, do you know what you're doing?"

Padma was incoherent for a moment, and then, pointing at Draco, she yelled angrily, "He's a bad man! It's not fair that he's been on the loose since that night! Even if he didn't seriously hurt me - even if he Didn't treat me like Katie Bell or Colin Creevey—I still remember what happened, and I know which side he was on." She stopped suddenly, gasping, and Ginny wondered The tears are real.

"I have nightmares," Padma said softly. "That's partly true."

Kingsley frowned slightly, but still tapped the table with a gavel. "Attorney Harper, your witnesses are unreliable and the charges are dropped. Miss Patil, you may leave."

Padma stood up immediately, glared at Ginny angrily, and returned to her sister.Draco looked at her strangely - Ginny thought it might be pity.Or sympathy.Did he have nightmares related to that night even though he lost his memory?

Padma was followed by Dennis Creevey, who spoke about his brother and how his death affected the family.Unlike Padma, Dennis showed no trace of his training as a witness.Ginny should have figured out how to twist his words in her favor, but Dennis' testimony made her sad.Colin is one of her best friends.She should have gone after the man who killed him instead of defending the man everyone thought was the killer.However, during her cross-examination, she revealed that Dennis was not present when Colin died and that he had only seen his body when Oliver Wood brought it to the Great Hall.In fact, he had not witnessed anything relevant to Draco's accusation, and Ginny had succeeded in - she thought - making him a harmless witness.

Katie Bell is her real roadblock.Ginny felt a heavy weight in her stomach when Kingsley called her to testify.Padma was only jinxed, and Katie did touch the A-level cursed item, so she missed six months of school.It was even rumored that it was because of that curse that she didn't practice professional Quidditch after graduating from Hogwarts.

Harper's questions were all Ginny expected; he asked what happened, and Katie calmly recounted how she'd walked into the Three Broomsticks' ladies' room and met Ms Rosmerta.Ginny saw Harry's pained face in the stands, and she remembered him being there, seeing the whole thing firsthand: he saw Katie's body floating in the air as her fingers touched the necklace.Unlike Padma and Dennis, Katie's testimony was unbiased and frank.Ginny remembered that when they were at Hogwarts, she had always been very logical, not as hyperbolic as the other female students.

Harper looked downcast as he followed the list.Ginny hoped it was because his training hadn't worked on one witness.

By the time he's finished, they've learned the whole story: from Katie's admission to St. Mungo's to her waking up, her treatment and recovery period, and her discharge and return to school.The necklace did not leave any permanent damage, but Ginny's guess was correct: the curse had dulled Katie's physical reflexes, and she had tried out for the Arrows, but was no longer professionally qualified.

Hermione had warned her about this witness. "Unfortunately, her case is straightforward," she said as they sat in the library. "Draco did give her the necklace through Madam Rosmerta, putting her life in great danger, and Katie did almost die tragically."

This goes back to extreme coercion.Ginny defended that Draco was 16 years old and the most evil wizard who ever lived forced him to kill Dumbledore.However, to her ears, her reasons were weak.The Wizengamot looked bored.When Ginny spoke, one of the witches even yawned and looked at her nails, which made her heart skip a beat with fear.

But they had to listen to her.They had to believe her when she said Draco wasn't the "bad guy" Padma said: he was nice, so nice, warm and friendly, and there were a lot of people who loved him.Ginny suppressed a yawn.She felt as if she hadn't slept in 100 years, and the fatigue had penetrated into her bones.She wanted to sleep, lying peacefully in Draco's arms, watching the sun rise and greet them in the stillness of the morning.

As Katie stepped off the witness stand and returned to her seat, Oliver Wood hugged her tightly and stroked her back as Harper announced the next witness:

"The prosecution has called Harry Potter to testify."

Ginny blinked her sleepy eyes at the table, and looked up just in time to see Harry leave his seat and make his way to the witness stand.She has work to do.