Unmatched Hatred

Chapter 24

Author's Note: Hi! I would like to quickly say that I have no idea how the actual wizard court system works. This chapter is simply my own interpretation of it. Anyways enjoy!

"How do I look?" I asked as I stuck a bobby pin through my hair to secure my bun in place.

"You look well," answered Kasper as he adjusted his tie, "What do you think of me?"

"Handsome. Now come on. I believe Narcissa and Lucius are waiting for us."

Just an hour until the official court trial and I was attempting to persuade myself that there was no reason to be the least amount of anxious. However, I felt my palms become sweaty as I followed Kasper out into the hallway. I was wearing one of Narcissa's silk, dark green dresses which had long, flared sleeves. The dress also dropped down to my ankles. It was a beautiful dress which she bought for me a few weeks ago for the trial. Kasper was wearing a rather fancy black suit and tie most suitable for a court trial. As I walked on through the hall thinking of all the things that could go terribly wrong today, I almost tripped in my own heels.

On my way down the stairs, I saw Malfoy peering up at me from the bottom of the staircase. Not Kasper and me... just me. Malfoy was not attending the court trial with us since there was no reason for him to be there. He was to stay here with the house elves, practically all by himself.

"Good luck," he whispered as I touched the second-to-last step.

I don't hate you.

I did not look at him. I did not even spare a glance. I kept on going as if only air existed where Malfoy stood.

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Ministry of Magic: Court Trial Part 1

I stepped out from the fireplace with Kasper's hand in mine and into the official headquarters of the Ministry of Magic. Immediately, I began brushing off the remaining fire ash from my clothing. Travelling by floo powder is not my ideal way of transportation, but it is certainly the quickest. I then aided Kasper by helping him brush off some excess floo powder from his hair.

"You're going to do great," I encouraged him.

Just after that, Lucius and Narcissa emerged gracefully from the fire as if it were a simple thing.

"This way," said Lucius, implying a command to follow him.

We marched on through a couple of corridors with towering ceilings and filled with hundreds of employees.

"See that door just down there," said Kasper, pointing to a large door at the end of a busy lobby, "That's where me and Lucius work."

I could only imagine Kasper walking across there to get to work every morning. He has made an extraordinary amount of money too!

"And he does an impressive job," Lucius announced, making Kasper feel secretly proud.

We all then used a lift to get to the third floor and met with a guard who had to confiscate our wands before we could enter through another room.

We were then met with a lady sitting at a desk, aligned in a row with many other desks where several people sat typing on a typewriter and assisting other people walking in.

"Ah! Mr. Malfoy, what brings you here?" asked the lady at a desk labeled "Miss Snow".

"Good afternoon, Miss Snow. I have come to attend a court trial scheduled for 3:30 today."

No wonder her name was Miss Snow. Her pearly, white hair shimmered in the light, appearing as snow.

"Of course!" said Miss Snow. She turned her eyes to me. "What is your name, deary?"

"Holly Rosewood."

"And you, sir?" She pushed her glasses up to see Kasper more clearly.

"Kasper Norman."

Miss Snow scanned a few papers which floated in the air in front of her. We all waited patiently for an answer.

"Go to court room number 212 when you're ready."

"Thank you. Have a pleasant day," said Lucius.

Narcissa, Kasper, and I followed Lucius into an almost empty corridor. Lucius put one hand on Kasper's shoulder and the other on mine. He leaned in slightly and spoke with a whisper.

"Remember to speak clearly when asked to," he told us, "And always tell the truth. We're going inside in ten minutes."

"Darling, don't intimidate them," said Narcissa, "You two will be okay."

Though her words were soft spoken and were meant to be uplifting, I felt the least bit of calm. Instead, I felt my heart racing a million miles an hour and my breathing came slightly uneasy.

Suddenly, those ten minutes passed, and we entered into the court room. The place was massive. The ceiling seemed to stretch into the skies and rows of benches circled around the room. The middle of the room was shaped like a circle, with tiled flooring forming the Ministry of Magic logo. In the middle were also two chairs on either side of each other, facing the judge's place, which was on a high platform looking down to the center.

The judge, whose name I did not know, sat in his chair on his platform, and behind him sat a group of other people who I did not know, nor did I know their purpose for being there. Also, standing in the center of the courtroom were four figures, hand-cuffed and chained at the ankles. My heart sank and I almost went into full panic mode when the four figures turned to face us as we walked into the place. I gasped to catch my breath as my mum and dad turned to meet my eyes. They both appeared sick, their cheeks caved in and sunken, and their breathing shallow. It was such a horrifying sight to see. My uncle and aunt looked just the same, except possibly more terrifying. I noticed the way Kasper instantly froze, and I discreetly interlocked my pinky with his.

We were going to get through this. This will all be over soon.

At least, that's what I kept telling myself.

We followed Lucius and Narcissa up into one of the stands, then the judge banged his gavel three times, marking the start of the court trial.