Defending the Dark (Dramione)

Chapter 12: The Unlikelihood of Hope

"Cormac McLaggen!" Hermione spat venomously the minute Draco sat down the next afternoon.

"What did you call me? Is that some Muggle swear I've never heard before?" Draco's tone was light, but he was a bit wary. The last time he'd seen Granger this angry had been in their third year when she'd slapped him. He moved away from her slightly.

"No, Cor-mac Mc-Lagg-en." She pronounced each syllable distastefully. "He's the prosecuting Inquisitor for your case and he's awful. Completely underhanded and dirty. Always taking bribes but never gets caught. He was a year ahead of us at Hogwarts . . . Gryffindor. He's the worst!"

Draco smirked. "And here I thought I was the worst."

"No, you're an annoying little ferret. McLaggen is a slimy octopus with the tentacles to match."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" He thought for a moment. "He does sound familiar . . . Wait, didn't you date him?"

"No!" Hermione looked up from her papers to glare at him. "We went to one party together, and I spent most of the time hiding from him." She shuddered. "He was not exactly a gentleman."

"Seems to be a pattern of yours . . ." Weasley, that Holyhead Harpies clown, and now this guy? Draco couldn't help but wonder why she never seemed to date anyone who actually deserved her. But then again, maybe that guy didn't exist.

Hermione frowned. "Look, he's a dirtbag, but he's extremely clever and unscrupulous. All those enemies of your father's? If they're paying him off, McLaggen will resort to anything to get you convicted. He's ruthless in court."

Draco groaned. "Just my luck. So, what does that mean, exactly?"

"It means we're going to need to be incredibly thorough and even more careful."

***

"Two charges of the Imperius curse . . . let's talk about that," Hermione said a half hour later, reviewing the sheet of Draco's charges.

Draco's light demeanor quickly changed once they started talking about his case, and Hermione noticed him stiffen at the question.

"I used it on Madame Rosmerta in sixth year to try to get the cursed necklace to Dumbledore. She, in turn, used it on Katie Bell, hence the two charges. And I think you already know how that scenario played out."

Hermione nodded. "So, it goes back to Dumbledore's death—conspiracy to murder. What made you want to kill Dumbledore?"

"I was upset he wasn't going to make me Head Boy," he said sarcastically then, let out a frustrated breath. "I didn't want to kill him! I was ordered to by Voldemort. Didn't you already know that?"

"Most of it, yes, but I need to hear it from you. I'm trying to build a case here, remember?" Draco muttered something unintelligible as Hermione continued. "When did Voldemort order you to kill him?"

"Before the start of sixth year." He grimaced. "It was my first official task as a Death Eater."

"And when did you take the Dark Mark?" She nodded towards the metal band that was secured around his left forearm, a security measure so Death Eaters couldn't contact each other in Azkaban.

"A few days earlier."

"And how did you feel about that? Did you want to become a Death Eater?"

Draco's gaze shifted downward, and the silence was deafening. Finally, he sighed, then said, "Before I became one, yes, I did—I'd basically been preparing for it my whole life. My father was one, and he made it sound important and exciting. Said they were purifying the world of filth, and all that garbage." He frowned. "When my father was put in Azkaban at the end of fifth year, it just fueled my fire—I blamed Potter and all of you for him being there, and I wanted to prove to my father I could take his place."