DEVIL'S SNARE ━ james sirius potter ✓

▬▬ 25. NEVER ALONE

【 CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE 】
━━━ NEVER ALONE ━━━

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"CHIEF WARLOCK, I'M HIS GIRLFRIEND."

⠀⠀Everyone except Hermione and Fawley in the room gasped in unison, including James. Hermione held his arm again, whispering, "she knows what she's doing, James."
⠀⠀"Alright, continue," Fawley said, unfazed. Laurel swallowed before continuing. Though it didn't shock Fawley, it still shocked the rest of the Wizengamot (and nearly everyone else).
⠀⠀"Well, that night I knew he went off to help Mara to study, but I didn't know they were in the Astronomy Tower," Laurel recalled, nervously pushing her hair behind her ears. "We all broke a couple of rules going to the Astronomy Tower that night...I wanted to read my book there. But when I went up there I saw them." She paused. The memory wasn't pleasant in her mind now that she knew what had really happened.

⠀⠀"Were they studying? What were they doing?" Chang questioned, after being relatively quiet this whole time.
⠀⠀"They weren't studying when I got there," Laurel finally answered after a long pause. "They were arguing and Mara was trying to seduce James, but he was rejecting her advances. She was touching his chest and then he pushed her away, grabbing his things to leave. But before he could go, she grabbed him and pushed him against a wall...violently. And then she kissed him. It seemed like he couldn't move or do anything to push her away at the moment...Then it was too dark to see anything else before I ran away."
⠀⠀"Chief Warlock, she's lying! She's his girlfriend, of course she'd lie for him!" Theodore exclaimed from behind Fawley. The room began to stir once again in noise.
⠀⠀"There's no reason for Mister Potter to go after Miss Zox if he's dating Miss Scamander!" Hermione fired back.
⠀⠀Laurel didn't say anything in response to the commotion, retaining her calm demeanor. James was impressed at how Laurel well kept her composure. But mostly, he couldn't believe she had just said that.

⠀⠀"Miss Scamander, based on your statement," Chang asserted in a loud voice, shushing the room, "you saw Miss Zox make advances on Mister Potter even after he rejected her?"
⠀⠀"Yes, ma'am," Laurel replied, nodding.
⠀⠀Chang and Fawley looked at each other before nodding. Theodore looked ready to explode or strangle Laurel with his bare hands. She simply stared at him with her bright blue eyes, with no shame whatsoever.
⠀⠀It was a few moments before Fawley let Laurel go. The courtroom was getting noisier and antsier by the second as Fawley and Chang conversed between themselves, excluding a very aggrivated Theodore from the conversation.
⠀⠀As Laurel sat down next to her brothers, Fawley struck her gavel again, silencing the room.
⠀⠀"As of right now, none of the discussion that has already happened disproves either side's arguments," Fawley announced. "I'm assuming both sides have all their evidence?" Hermione and Phaedra nodded. "Phaedra, have you presented everything on your case so far?"
⠀⠀"Yes, ma'am," Phaedra replied, nodding.
⠀⠀"What about you, Granger?" Fawley asked, turning to Hermione.
⠀⠀"No, ma'am," Hermione replied. "We have new evidence and we still have one more witness."
⠀⠀"Right, right," Fawley nodded, "I'm getting too old to remember...Fred Weasley. He's your final witness, correct?"
⠀⠀"Correct," Hermione answered.
⠀⠀"Very well," Fawley replied. "We will discuss the new evidence found until Mister Weasley shows up, and then the Wizengamot will vote on it afterwards. Granger, please begin."
⠀⠀Hermione nodded, standing up. "Chief Warlock, is the Potionsmaster of the Department of Intoxicating Substances in house today?"
⠀⠀"Justine, is your wife here today?" Fawley asked, turning to Chang.
⠀⠀"She's always here, ma'am," Chang answered, chuckling a little.
⠀⠀"As she should be," Fawley said. She turned around to Theodore. "Can you quickly go and fetch Lorna Galicia?"
⠀⠀Theodore paused for a moment, staring st Fawley, unimpressed that a small woman was ordering him around. He grumbled a little before getting up and Disapparating wth a crack to whatever floor to fetch Arce. Within two minutes, he was back with a tall, slender woman with caramel toned skin and thick, curly black hair. She smiled at Chang as soon as she spotted her, who smiled back.