Empty Spaces

Chapter 40

Draco discovered that he hated the Ministry courtrooms almost as much as he hated the Manor. He'd spent so much time in these chambers last spring, listening to everyone talking about his family, being forced to reveal and relive his darkest moments... But that time, everyone's contempt had been focused on Lucius, the patriarch of evil in so many eyes. Under his father's looming presence, and as the Malfoy family secrets surfaced for the first time in living memory, Draco found himself on people's sympathetic sides. "A child begins life knowing only what they are taught," they said, "The son is as much a victim as anyone else whose life was ruined at Lucius' hands." It had been awful. But it turns out Draco had been spared.

Now on his own, it became clear that people's sympathy only goes so far, especially when your surname is Malfoy. Even those who'd spoken in support of him before were now turning their backs and claiming it was clear that what is bred in the bone eventually comes out in the flesh. The minutes dragged into hours which Draco suspected eventually blended into days– it was hard to tell from the underground confines of the courtrooms. It went on so long that Draco began to wonder if they were right somehow as he listened to accounts of his bullying behavior at school, his deeds in the war, things he'd said and done under Lucius' shadow and influence... What if they were right? What if you can't escape your destiny in the same way that you can't escape your past...? Was it possible that he was guilty without even realizing it...?

But then the witnesses started coming in, not just those with secondhand stories, but people who were actually there that night.

Harry, being Harry, was clearly the star witness in the whole affair but it didn't take long for public opinion to begin to shift against him as well. Never one to hide his emotions, even the most oblivious person could soon figure out that Harry had something going on with Draco, and then the whispers started that Draco had been using all sorts of unmentionable methods of persuasion to convince Harry of his innocence. For his own part, the knowledge that Harry was not only okay, but able to make public appearances and argue passionately on his behalf became the singular thread of hope holding Draco together as the trial dragged on and on.

When Aberforth showed up, it took a good amount of Draco's self-control not to completely lose all composure in the courtroom as the old man defended him without any apparent conditions or alternate agendas or need for personal gain. Family is forever, Lucius always said, Friends and lovers will leave you as flowers fall from a tree, but only family endures through the hardest times. So what, then, were Harry and Aberforth doing here? And then one last witness showed up who delivered a final word; the last person Draco had been expecting to see in this cold, dark, and dismal place.

Healer Yamamoto's hair stood out in stark contrast to the dark robes of the Wizengamot and gray marble floors; she gave Draco a subtle glance of reassurance as she strode up to the witness stand and began to share her findings that Andor Markos' body showed no signs of foul play whatsoever.

"St Mungo's has authorized and confirmed the following information," she stated, "That not only was there no anecdotal evidence of the killing curse being used this night, but the Prior Incantato charm performed on all three wands did not reveal the use of any spells strong enough to result in death. The stinging hex from the holly wand hit the victim's left arm, as evidenced by the distinctive red marks. There was bruising from minor trauma, such as falling, likely caused by the shield charm also cast by the holly wand. Finally, we can see evidence of a deflected stunning spell, most likely cast by the holly wand although the beech wand also cast multiple stunning spells that night. But none of these minor injuries, even when one considers they took place together within a short period of time, were strong enough to result in death."

"Healthy young men like Andor Makos don't just drop dead of their own accord," her interrogator argued, "Perhaps a more thorough investigation with a more... serious... healer–"