It Starts With A Dance

It was chaos outside the Ministry. Wizards and witches milled around the entrance, solidified into two groups: pro-Wood and anti-Wood. The pro-Wood group was shouting nasty things, accusing Hermione of leading the poor man on, promising him things and withholding them until she'd driven him nuts. The anti-Wood group was shouting just as loudly, saying that he was a dirty man who would do anything to have his appetites sated as they had been during his time in the pro Quidditch league. Hermione covered her ears and dashed into the Ministry with Severus at her side, trying to shield her from the insults being hurled at her.


As soon as they got inside, the doors slammed shut and warded behind them. An attendant was waiting for them, looking somewhat worse for the wear. She gave the couple a weary smile as she spoke.


"We've been waitin' for ya," the girl said, stepping aside so Severus and Hermione could straighten themselves up. "They've been trying to get in all morning, you know. If you know the way to the courtroom, I can stay here and reinforce the wards keeping the hordes out."


"Thank you; I think that's best as well," Hermione said, patting the dust out of her skirt.


"Just so you know, I don't think any of this is any of your fault. Not that I blame Ollie, though," the girl blushed, and Hermione shared a look with Severus at the girl's reaction at Oliver's name. "It just isn't somethin' 'e'd do, y'know? But I also know that you hain't done it, ei'ver."


"Thank you. Have you seen Oliver, miss. . . " Hermione trailed off, waiting for the girl's name.


"Tobin, miss, Tobin MacCair. I'm in training to be an Auror, like Harry Potter and R~" the girl blushed harder. Hermione sighed almost silently. She nodded.


"You should try to speak with Nymphadora Tonks next time you get leave. Come to Hogwart's, and you can visit all of us ~ me, Tonks, Remus Lupin, and even Oliver," Hermione said, wincing at the squeeze Severus gave her hand when she left him out. "And even Severus, here, if you're so inclined."


"Thanks, miss. I'll owl you soon. Good luck at the trial!" Tobin said as Hermione and Severus headed for the trial. Hermione hoped they didn't need too much luck. She was hoping the Wizengamot would wise up sometime soon.

[pgbr]

Percy Weasley had managed to weasel his way up to being head of the Wizengamot. Out of all the Weasleys, Percy was the lone ferret, in Hermione's opinion. She knew that he'd been cleared of all accusations that had been brought against him in the war, but she still didn't trust him. Especially when it cam to the trial of a friend of the family's, a family he'd purposely distanced himself from.


They had apparently been waiting for Hermione and Severus, as the trial room's door slammed shut and locked itself behind them. The sound of the wards sliding into place was ominous, and as they approached the left side of the room, where they had been directed to sit in the letter, Hermione saw her friend locked into the chair reserved for the accused.


"Hermione, you must steel yourself for the proceedings. Things can get. . . messy. And not everyone survives their acquittal," Severus whispered as they settled into their seats. She swallowed and nodded, and turned her attention to Percy as the trial began.

[pgbr]

"The accused before us is none other than the former Puddlemere United Quidditch star, Oliver Tarquinis Wood. He has been serving as flying professor and quidditch sponsor at Hogwart's School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. That is not, however, why he is here before us today, my fellow members of the Wizengamot. He is accused of kidnapping a fellow professor, namely Hermione Granger, war and Auror hero from the Great War, assault, and attempted. . . rape," Percy said in his characteristically pompous voice. Severus wanted to throttle him. He didn't like Wood himself, but Weasley was going out of his way to make sure that his former classmate would be found guilty.


"Oliver was always more popular than Percy," Hermione hissed as Percy continued pontificating. "They should never have left Percy in charge of this trial!"


Severus put a long finger to his lips to silence her, and both returned their attention to Percy and his barely veiled insults.


"And so, I am advocating a stay in Azkaban, no longer than 3 months, ending in a Dementor's kiss. Obviously, this. . . man. . . has been a good enough actor that his own victim is fooled by his 'change in heart'. Auror Tonks, you did say that Miss Granger didn't want charges brought against Wood?" Percy said, and Tonks, who had been unnoticed before, nodded miserably. She'd thought mentioning that would help the Wizengamot understand that it hadn't been Oliver's fault.


"But I think she's right, Percy," Tonks said, and Percy gave her a venomous glare for using his given name. "Sir."


"But no-one has brought evidence of an Imperius curse or even a strange control potion before us, Auror Tonks," Penelope Clearwater-Weasley spoke. As Percy's wife, she'd also made her way through the Ministry ranks. And just like Percy, she was arrogant and bitter.


"I have brought evidence to attest to Professor Wood's innocence," Severus stood, and the entire gallery turned to look at him. Hermione gaped at him. She thought she was supposed to speak; she hadn't been expecting Severus to jump in like that. "I have evidence that shows that Professor Wood was not acting under his right mind at the time of the incident, and that he was under someone else's control."


"Very well. Step forward and bring the evidence with you," Percy said viciously. He hadn't been expecting that, either, but luckily the Wizengamot was bound to hear all evidence that could be presented.


Severus produced the results of their little experience and explained about 'aqua negra'. The room was in an uproar, and Severus stood in the maelstrom, inserting his body between Oliver and the witches and wizards that were screaming and shouting their outrage. Oliver picked his head up just enough to give Hermione a weak smile before he drooped in the chair again.


"How are we to know that you haven't made this up?" Percy said, trying to regain control of the trial. In his short career only a few trials had actually found the accused guilty, and Percy looked quite bad for it.


"I saw him spit up the black water!" Tonks said, rising out of her chair.


"I helped Severus run the tests against the substance ~ it is black water. We need to be more concerned about who gave Oliver the potion and how they learned how to make it," Hermione interjected, shooting to her feet and coming round the gallery to stand next to Severus.


"How do you suppose we do that, Miss Granger? I would suppose that black water would keep the recipient from telling who gave it to him," Penelope added, coming to stand next to her husband.


"That's why you need a skilled Legilimens to open those memories to you. Luckily, I brought Severus with me," Hermione said triumphantly, earning a glare from Severus. "There is a way for the Legilimens to act as a conduit from the person with the memory to a pensieve. Oliver couldn't tell us, and couldn't access the memory on his own, but Severus can pull them out. With Oliver's permission, of course.


Percy nodded, and his face took on a sickly green cast as Severus nodded and turned to Oliver. He summoned a pensieve and placed it next to the younger man, waiting for a signal.


"Go ahead, Professor," Oliver said weakly. Severus would enjoy finding out who had mistreated the poor boy to this point, and he wondered if Hermione had not been exaggerating but rather sugarcoating the way her friend had been treated during his imprisonment.


"This is an empty pensieve. I will place my wand at Professor Wood's temple and transfer the memory through my wand and body to the pensieve. After the ordeal, Professor Wood will most likely fall unconscious. If Auror Tonks and Professor Granger would be so kind as to come down here, they may help him out of the chair once Professor Wood loses consciousness," Severus said, rolling up his sleeves and grasping his wand firmly in his left hand and placing his right into the pensieve, palm down and fingers spread. The ladies came to stand on either side of Oliver, and the process began.


It took the better part of an hour to draw the memories into the pensieve, as Severus was trying hard to keep from drawing anything out that was personal but not pertinent. There were memories of quite a few fantasies that he would have to speak to Wood about later, because they included Severus's own paramour. Oliver passed out soon after the process started, which actually made it easier for Severus to find what he needed; while he'd been awake, Oliver had been unconsciously trying to 'help' Severus find the correct memories.


"Done. And done," Severus said, removing his wand from Oliver's temple and his hand from the pensieve. Tonks and Hermione removed what was holding Oliver in the chair and laid him out on some cloaks they'd gathered, so he could rest. "All that remains is for us to peer into his memories and see who gave him the potion. Mr. Weasley, should you care to go first?"


Percy glared at Severus as he tapped his wand on the pensieve, making it broadcast the memories.


~*~ Oliver's memories ~*~


The Hog's Head. Oliver is sitting in a both with an attractive and somewhat familiar young woman, but that isn't important. A drink arrives at the table, one for each, actually, and the barmaid tells Oliver that a friend sent it, and once they are ready to leave for the night, to stop by the corner of the counter for a chat.


Oliver looks up, but no-one he recognizes sits at the counter. The barmaid leaves, and he decides to down the drink anyway. His stomach turns sour on him, and his date helps him to the door of the men's room. She tries to help more, but he waves her off with a sick smile, and she leaves as he enters the restroom.


As he stumbles to a cracked toilet, Oliver starts retching. Nothing comes up. He even sticks his fingers down his throat, but nothing comes up. Finally, in his misery, Oliver stumbles out of the restroom and trips into the main room. A tall man stands over him and offers a hand up. As their hands touch, Oliver felt the nausea disappear. The tall man wore a hood, and dirty blonde hair peeked out from it, framing a face with cold green eyes and a sadistic smile.


"Look at me, Oliver Tarquinis Wood. The sickness has gone away because you've come to me; give me your other hand," the man said, and Oliver began to recognize him. Horrified, Oliver saw his hand move up to be grasped. "It is complete. You are mine, and you will not tell anyone of this meeting. Get me Hermione Granger, unscathed, and perhaps I will release you from this bondage."


Helpless, Oliver stood and nodded, the sickness gone to be replaced by an urge, an uncontrollable desire to win the trust and heart of Hermione Granger, to bring her to this man.


"You will bring her to me, here, when you have her. I'll know when you have her, and I'll know if you fail."


The man was gone almost instantly, and Oliver was left standing with a foolish grin on his face. He couldn't wait to see Hermione, and to be with her.


And he had no clue why.


~*~ end Oliver's memory ~*~


"Obviously, Oliver is innocent," Hermione said, and Tonks nodded her agreement. Percy and Penelope shared a look, and whispers ran through the rest of the Wizengamot. Severus waited, trying not to collapse from the strain of it all. Hermione noticed it and came to stand next to him, touching him almost imperceptibly, lending her strength. They had almost won when Percy spoke.


"Obviously the accused still performed the actions, though he was under control. We cannot allow him to go completely unpunished this day, else his safety cannot be assured when he reaches the crowd," Percy said, and Hermione's heart fell. This wasn't~


"So we are remanding Oliver Tarquinis Wood to your custody, Professor Snape, and putting him under house arrest for no longer than one week," Penelope said, and Hermione and Severus stared at her, as did Percy.


"We are?" Percy said stupidly.


"Yes. We are," Penelope said, and agreement rang out through the tribunal. "You may take Mr. Wood with you now, as you have my permission to apparate away from the Ministry for this express purpose. You, as well, Tonks, and take Remus with you," she added, jerking her thumb towards a poorly-disguised Remus Lupin, who'd been sitting in the very back, trying to look like a Scribe.


"Thank you," Hermione said, addressing the Wizengamot. "But we have one more request."


"You do?" Percy said, his color turning red. "You've already gotten your toy out of trouble, what else can we do for you?"


Hermione leveled a stare at the Weasley, and he shut up. "I want free range to catch the person who did this to Oliver, and to me."


Percy nodded. "Fine. Now leave."


With that, the motley crew apparated away with a series of pops, and the Wizengamot was left on its own. Percy hung his head, and Penelope wrapped her arms around his waist.


"The next trial will go better. But perhaps you should concern yourself more with justice than conviction rates."