Close To Crazy

Fury, Azkaban, & Surprise.

Draco was certain that never, in his whole life had he been that angry. He never once let himself feel what the deaths of his two closest friends did to him. But deep down he knew, once they died, so did a part of Draco. They were just children, but they knew too much. Just as Draco did, they saw too much for the few years that they had of life. Every year Draco lit a candle on the anniversaries of both his friends death and then once the candle burned out so would his memory of them until the next year. Draco had not always been on the “good side” no, but after receiving the Dark Mark, and the ceremony atfterwards, Draco took it upon himself to give all the information on Voldemort that he knew. Three days after receving the Mark he went to Dumbledor and made his proposal who accepted eagerly and told him that in the end he would turn out just fine. But Dumbledor had been wrong, and then Dumbledor had died and that created a whole new problem. That was most likely the reason he was here now. Then, a the War ended and everything went from bad to worse, somehow his father had escaped and found Draco. And Lucius knew. He knew what Draco had done, knew that Draco had switched sides and then Lucius did the one thing that would nearly kill Draco. Lucius killed Narcissa.
“Your lying…” Weasley whispered, Draco cocked his eyebrow,
“Am I? Come off it Weasley…do you honestly believe that?” Weasley nodded looking as if he was trying to convince himself rather than answering Draco’s question. “Then why the fear behind your eyes? Hmmm?” Draco looked over at Harry, “How about you Potter? You think I’m lying?” The raven-haried man didn’t answer, he just looked at Draco, something almost like condolence crossed his face. More anger bulit up in Draco until he was certain it would explode from his chest.
“Don’t you dare feel pity for me!” Draco affronted, wanting to beat the living hell out of Potter “I am just fucking fine where I am. My life is fucking perfect. So what if I can’t sleep? What the fuck do the lot of you care?” When the blonde man would later look back on this day he would realize that after such torment and hurt, had bulit up over a eighteen years there was no way he could have stopped the words tumbling out of his mouth had he even tried. “You brought me here to judge me for the crimes I commited yes? Then go right ahead. Punish someone who had no choice. Make me pay for the things I did as a child because no one else would intervene in my up-bringing. Take me to your O’masterful moron of a Minister and let us see what punishment he will bestow upon a seventeen year old boy who was raised by a mad-man, with no chance of escape. Because I assure you, me, as who I am? I have not done anything wrong. In my past life, yes but not now? No, not now.” Draco stood up and got as close to Potter as he could “So you remember Potter, when you close your eyes at night, you make sure and understand that you put me in Azkaban. It doesn’t matter what I do now. No, it only matters what I did then. It will never matter what you are, it only matters what you were.” And with that Draco turned around silently saying he was finished. Both Ron and Hermione left the room, Hermione silently crying, “Get out Potter. I can’t leave, you made sure of that so just go away.”
“Malfoy I didn’t-”
“GET THE FUCK OUT!” Draco screamed, and so Harry did.

*+*+*+*

The Trial was quick, Draco knew it would be, but what had happened in their had completely floored him, why he wasn’t going straight to Azkaban he wasn’t sure but he wasn’t.
“Please rise for our honorable Minister of Magic Cornelius Oswald Fudge II.” A man said by the door, ‘Fudge had a son?’, Draco thought and stood, ignoring the urge to tell them all to fuck off. “You may be seated.” Draco sat and shifted his body to the left in an attempt to get more comfortable as he felt his magicly bound hands dig into his back.
“Will the Defendant please rise?” Draco rolled his eyes and rose. “Your name?” Draco had been previously sitting in Potter’s office for at least five hours and began to contemplate his situation before he figured he was screwed, six ways to Sunday. He knew that no matter how hard he had worked to give his surname a better reputation it did not matter in the Wizarding World because he was the son of Lucius Malfoy. So he thought what the hell differnce does it make? They were going to send him to Azkaban either way.
“Chris Cringle.” Draco stated solemnly,
“Thank you. Mr.-” the Minister stopped realizing what Draco had just said, Draco rolled his eyes again
“Git…” he mumbled under his breath.
“Please state you name.” Fudge repeated,
“Oh!” Draco said faking understanding “Michael Jackson.” He nodded in conformation, the blonde man could see the Minister's eye starting to twitch and Draco smiled acidly.
“Please. State. Your. Name.” Fudge ground out between clenched teeth.
“Colonel Sanders!” Draco shouted triumphantly, he heard someone behind him laugh lightly.
“Mr. Malfoy!” Fudge nearly screamed “Please state your name!”
“Why? You just got the second half down,” Draco leaned in and brought his voice down to a stage whisper “I’m sure you can get the first part.” Now Draco was certain Fudge was going to hex him to death, just as well, better then going to prision he supposed. Fudge’s eye seemed to twitch uncontrolably, “You know your eye is twitching.” Draco commented, Fudge exploded from his seat, Draco reared back laughing.
“Dammit you little insolent basterd-”
“Minister Fudge…” Draco heard Potter say “Are you really going to let Mr. Malfoy get the best of you?” It almost seemed as if Potter was baiting the Minister. None the less, Fudge seemed to conteplate that and though his face was still red and his eye was twitching madly he sat down.
“Let it be know that the Defendant refuses to state his name. Draco Malfoy we find you gulity of coresponding with Death Eaters, how do you plead?”
“Considering my father was one and I ‘coresponded’ with him I suppose the answer is clear.” Everyone in the room could praticaly taste the quotation marks.
“Let the record show that Defendant has given a plea of gulity.” Draco didn’t say anything.
“On the case of reciving the Dark Mark how do you plead?” Draco looked at him like he was stupid,
“Oh I’m innocent on that…you great ninny.”
“You plead innocent?” Fudge asked, the blonde sat down,
“No,” Draco scoffed “I have it here on my arm. You prat. I plead gulity.” On some level Draco felt bad for Fudge II, it wasn’t his fault he was dumb, it was just that he was born that was. His father was a git and so was he, Draco couldn't blame the arse-whole for bad genes.
“We also find you gulity of having contact with Lord Voldemort.”
“Gulity, gulity, gulity. I’m a bad boy….send me away.” This finally set Fudge off,
“Listen here Mr. Malfoy, people died at the hands of this man! And you think this is some kind of joke?! You helped him…you helped him kill people!” The former wizard stood up knocking his chair over,
“The hell I did! I did not help that loon kill anyone!” Draco seethed “You weren’t even around you little prat. And you don’t know a damn thing about the War!” What the was with this? Draco was normaly so composed, so calm. It was Potter. Draco could feel the dark-haired man behind him, probably laughing at Draco’s expense. Minister Fudge sputtered at Draco’s outbreak,
“Azkaban! That’s where you belong! That’s where your going! Get him out of my sight!” Fudge bellowed, Draco didn’t care. Fine his life was over, that was okay. Jacob and the team would be alright. He had no one back at home that really mattered. No, that wasn’t true, but like he said the team would be alright.
“Minister Fudge,” someone said almost chidingly “Perhaps it would be wise to continue this later. When both you and Mr.Malfoy are in a better mood?” Draco turned and his jaw dropped, wait…didn’t Potter just want him to go straight to Azkaban? Draco had assumed that Potter wanted him to be sent to the Wizard's Prision the second he set foot in front of the Ministry. The Minister looked at Harry, and sat back down.
“Well Mister Potter where do you suppose we put him for the time being?”
“Why, with me of course.” Draco blanched, which was a neat trick for someone with his coloring, “Where else? I have wards all around my property no one, besides Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley, can enter or leave without my consent. The only place better would be Hogwarts and I don’t believe you want a convicted criminal within school grounds. This works out for everyone.” The Minister continued to inspect Harry who didn’t bat an eye under Fudge’s scrutinizing gaze and he nodded.
“Very well Potter. He’s yours until futher notice.”
Wonderful. Draco thought. He’ll hack me to death with a butter knife before the week is out. Just bloody wonderful.

TBC!!!