Standing before the long mirror in her room at Nott Manor, Hermione flattened nonexistent wrinkles in her suit and tucked stray curls behind her ears. She took a steadying breath, determined not to break.
Draco's trial was today.
"Everything will be okay," her mother told her from where she sat on the bed, noting the slight shaking in Hermione's hands as she buttoned and unbuttoned her blue jacket.
She met her mother's gaze in the mirror. "What if it isn't? What if even after all we have, it all goes to hell? What if—what if no one believes me?"
Jean stood, striding over to Hermione and taking her hands in hers. "I believe you. And they will too. It will all be over soon." She wrapped her arms around Hermione, pulling her in. She found comfort there, in the way her mother was somehow always right. She tried to believe her this time. Wanted nothing more than to believe everything would be okay.
Her mother whispered in Hermione's ear, "After the trial is over...Are you sure you—"
"Yes," she clipped, not wanting to talk about the matter long. She didn't have the strength. Couldn't keep thinking about what-ifs and maybes.
Thankfully, a knock at the door interrupted any fight her mother had planned.
Theo opened the door. "Are you ready?"
No.
"Yes," she replied, still holding on to her mother's hand.
"Katie is here to escort us," Theo explained as he motioned with his hands for the both of them to follow him to the travel parlor.
So Hermione Granger took the first step towards what could either be her greatest beginning or her worst end, with her chin held high.
***
She was not prepared for the madness she walked into.
Katie was in front of her, yelling at the mob of reporters and busybody onlookers. Theo and Blaise were on either side of her, tucking her tightly between them to shield her from the pointed cameras and hands tugging at her while her parents followed closely behind.
The camera flashes were near blinding, but even the shouts of writers from The Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly weren't enough to drown out the poorly whispered conversations Hermione heard.
"I heard it was an affair."
"Poor bloke. First, he loses his wife to a Death Eater, then his own life."
"There's nothing more upsetting than a young widow, don't you agree?"
She tried not to dwell on the rumors. Of course, she had known what the public would think of her hiding away in Nott Manor. She just hadn't expected it to sting so much.
"Ignore them," Blaise muttered when they were finally alone on the lifts. "Fucking vultures with nothing better to do with their time. Soon, everyone will know the truth."
Hermione nodded, white-knuckled fists gripping the briefcase Katie had given her before their departure.
The truth.
She knew the words were meant for comfort, but Hermione's stomach lurched at the thought of the world knowing the truth she had kept hidden for years.
Her eyes fell shut, thoughts drifting to Draco. She could do this. For him—for the man who had given her so much. She would do this for him, and she would not fail.
***
Before today, there hadn't been a courtroom that Hermione couldn't handle. She used to live for the rush of a case, the courtroom being the one place she could do what she loved without fear, where she could unleash everything that held her back and fight for what she believed in.
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Come Find Me | Dramione
同人小说Six years after the war, Hermione has the picture perfect life. She's married to a loving husband, has the Ministry job she always wanted, and friends that are loyal to the end. So why does she have to glamour away the bruises on her face, as she re...
