Save Me From My Pain

Chapter Eleven: The Hearing

“Hermione, are you ready to go?” Severus called from Hermione’s sitting room.

“Just about.” Hermione yelled from her bedroom.

Hermione walked into the sitting room. Severus saw what she was wearing and swore his heart skipped a beat, yet kept his face impassive. She was wearing a black knee-length dress with spaghetti straps, black heels, and a black cloak. She no longer had the necklace on, Malfoy was forced to remove it from her the night he was taken to the Ministry. Instead, she wore a gold necklace with a diamond charm in the shape of a tear. Her hair was up in a bun with a few stray curls framing her face. She blew at one irritably.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes,” she eyed what he was wearing. “Couldn’t you have worn something other than your teaching robes?”

“Possibly, but then I wouldn’t have the desired effect.”

“Oh? And what would that be? Because I’d like to show you how those robes effect me.” She started walking toward him.

“Oh, do enlighten me.”

Hermione was a few inches away from him and she leaned her face up to his. He was nervous, she could tell. She’d wanted to kiss him ever since that day he caught Malfoy, but this was the closest she’d ever come. Her mouth was mere centimeters away from his when she abruptly turned away from him, her cloak swatting his body.

“We’re going to be late if we don’t hurry.” She said casually.

Damn her! Why didn’t she just kiss me?
Come on Severus, what would you have done if she had kissed you?
I would have kissed her back.
Liar!
Oh fine, I would have pushed her away, telling her we had to leave. I do want her though.
Yes, well, it seems she may want you as well. You should have kissed her.
She can’t, and you know I couldn’t!
Why not?
You know why not!

There was a mental war going on in Severus’ mind as he walked to Hermione and they apparated to the Ministry for Malfoy’s hearing.

When they entered the courtroom, only the Wizengamot, a couple of guards, Malfoy, Dumbledore, Severus, and Hermione were present. It appeared that the media hadn’t gotten a hold of the story of Malfoy being alive. Severus put his hand on the small of Hermione’s back, making her feel safe in this strange environment, and led her to their seats.

The man at the center of the table where the Wizengamot (including Dumbledore) sat stood up.

“We are here for the hearing of Mr. Draco Malfoy on account of the rapping and beating of Miss Hermione Granger. Would the accused and the accuser please stand.”

With a prod from Severus, Hermione stood up. The old man looked at Hermione.

“Are these in fact the terms of which you brought Mr. Malfoy to cour
“
“Yes sir.” Hermione responded, her voice sounding calm despite her nerves. “He also used Cruciatus and Imperius on me.”

The man nodded and looked over at Draco.

“And what is your plea Mr. Malfoy?”

“I have donthinthing to harm Miss Granger.”

Both Hermione and Severus tensed at this.

“Sir,” Hermione spoke, “I would like to give my testimony by means of a pensive, if the court will allow it?”

Draco flashed Hermione a look of pure hatred and she knew she’d already won. The old man consulted the rest of the Wizengamot and then turned back to Hermione.

“We see no problem with that. Guards, please bring Miss Granger a pensive.”

One of the guards went to Hermione and handed her a pensive. Hermione started pulling her memories of her time with Draco from her mind and filling the pensive with them. The court sat in a tense silence, waiting to see Hermione’s testimony.

“I’m finished.” Hermione said after a little while.

rus rus stood next to her.

“If I may,” he began in his silky voice that made chills run down Hermione’s spine, “I would like to add a few memories of my own as testimony of what I’ve seen Mr. Malfoy do to Miss Granger?”

The old man looked at the others of the Wizengamot. They nodded their silent agreement. “Proceed.”

Severus then took his memories of the times he found Malfoy with Hermione and the time he found her the first night. Severus then took the pensive up to the old man, then went back to his place next to Hermione. The old man pulled Hermione’s first memory out of the pensive so that the whole court could view it.

Hermione did not want to watch, but told herself that to be able to get through this, she’d need to face it, so she watched herself being abducted and sexually harassed by Malfoy.

Draco’s eyes never left Hermione. He was more pissed off than he’d ever been. He should have been more careful in his meetings with Hermione. He hated the fact that he wasn’t careful enough to not get caught and he knew that after seeing Hermione’s memories, he’d without a doubt be sent to Azkaban.

By the time they got to the memory of Draco rapping Hermione the second time and using Crucio on her for the first time in their meetings, the few women on the Wizengamot where nearly in tears and the men were glaring fiercely at Draco.

After they finished viewing the memories, the old man stood once more.

“Mr. Malfoy, what would you like to say in your defense?”

“I thought it’s what she wanted.”

Hermione stood up, furious.

“No, it’s not what I wanted, but it is what I thought I’d deserved. Perhaps you’d like to know what motivated his actions?”

The witches and wizards of the Wizengamot nodded and Hermione went to their table. She pulled the memory of her killing Narcissa out and then of Lucius’ hearing. She went back to her seat and the court viewed these new memories. They looked at Hermione incredulously.

“I’d blocked it from my memory and until Mr. Malfoy told me that it was because of his parents that he was doing it to me, I had no recollection of my killing his mother.”

“Miss Granger, we were already aware of what you had done to Mrs. Malfoy. Mr. Harry Potter spoke in your defense though and the case was dismissed. It is no excuse for what Mr. Malfoy has done to you. We shall take a short break and return with our decision of discipline.” The old man said, then stood up and walked to an outer room, the rest of the Wizengamot following him.

Hermione refused to look at Malfoy, knowing he was staring at her. Instead she chose to look at Severus.

“What do you think is going to happen?” Hermione asked him softly.

“I don’t know, though I do think he’ll most likely be sent to Azkaban for life. Rape and the use of the unforgivables are not taken lightly in the Wizarding world.”

She smiled warmly at him, though it did not entirely reach her eyes, and put her hand in his. He squeezed her hand lightly and she returned the gesture.

A short while later the Wizengamot returned. They all sat in their respective seats, though the old man remained standing.

“Mr. Malfoy, please rise.” Malfoy stood up. “We have discussed the points of this case and have anonymously decided that you - ”

Hermione was shaking, nervously awaiting Malfoy’s punishment.

“ – shall spend a life sentence in Azkaban.”

Hermione let out a breath of relief and Severus squeezed her hand. She looked at him and smiled. Malfoy was escorted out of the room, though Severus and Hermione didn’t notice because they were too busy staring into each others eyes. Severus bent his head and kissed Hermione’s forehead. They heard chairs scrapping and chatter around them and they too stood up. Hermione flung her arms around Severus’ neck and he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close. She was crying into his chest.

“Is it really over?” She asked through her tears.

“Yes Hermione, it is really over.”

All of it, it is all over. Severus thought bitterly to himself.

Severus pulled away from Hermione and pasted his everyday scowl on his face.

“We should return to your home now.”

“Ok, I still need to get a few things moved into my quarters at school.”

They apparated back to Hermione’s small home where she gathered the few things she had left to move to the school. They then decided to walk back to Hogwarts rather than apparate.