Daddy Dearest - (No Update, Edit)

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 86 ~ The Trial ~ Afternoon: Day Two

When court reconvened two hours later, Cronnie returned and sidled in next to Hermione. He leaned into the witch

"Lady Malfoy will not be testifying," he said, "After talking with her I decided it would be too hard on her to publicly speak against her father, and would make an already difficult life much more difficult."

Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"Jasmine is a Malfoy and probably one of the most pampered witches in the wizarding world," the witch replied, remembering how spoiled Draco was when in Hogwarts. "How difficult can her life be?"

"Evidently, quite difficult. But what Lady Malfoy told me, she told me in strictest confidence, Miss Granger. Suffice it to say Lord Malfoy is a truly cruel and selfish man who has certain expectations of her that fall beyond a daughter's duty. Yet, he is her father and she has to treat him with respect."

The lawyer sighed deeply, his eyes clouding.

"I sincerely feel for that child. In Jasmine Malfoy's case, she is an apple that has fallen far, far from the Malfoy family tree," he said as the Auror entered from the side door and instructed everyone to rise.

The Council filed into the chambers and took their seats…Draco following, looking extremely haggard. Hisses rose as he entered and he scowled blackly at the audience before sitting down in his prosecutor's chair.

"This trial is now in session," said the Minister, "Prosecutor, call your next witness."

Draco stood up.

"I call Marietta Edgecombe to the stand," Draco said.

Cronnie felt Hermione stiffen next to him.

"Oh my gods…she…she shouldn't remember," Hermione breathed. "Kingsley modified her memory. It must not have taken fully."

"Remember what?" Cronnie whispered to her.

A witch with curly reddish-blonde hair and a rather pockmarked face walked determinedly up to the witness stand, took the oath and sat down, glaring at Hermione.

Hermione quickly told the lawyer about how Marietta was a member of Dumbledore's Army and betrayed them to Delores Umbridge, which unleashed a terrible jinx on her that made great purple pustules spell out the word "SNEAK" on her forehead. Hermione had designed the jinx and apparently Marietta still bore the marks from it.

"Your name please," Draco said to the witch.

"Marietta Edgecombe," she said loudly so everyone could hear her.

"Are you familiar with the accused?" the wizard purred.

"Yes I am. Hermione Granger. She is the witch who scarred my face!" Marietta exclaimed dramatically, pointing her finger at Hermione.

Murmurs went up from the audience as Hermione sunk down in her seat a bit.

"Sit up!" Cronnie hissed at her.

Draco feigned great surprise at this.

"Do you mean to tell me, Miss Edgecombe, that sweet, studious, hardworking has-never-done-anyone-wrong-in-her-life Hermione Granger caused you bodily harm?" he asked her, looking at the jury, who were studying the witch's face.

"That's exactly what I'm telling you," the witch said angrily.

Draco nodded and addressed the jury.

"Apparently Miss Granger has quite a nasty streak that evidenced itself long before the Ministry incident," he said to them.

The jury looked at Hermione for a moment, then back at Miss Edgecombe.

"Tell us, Miss Edgecombe, how did Miss Granger cause your terrible disfigurement?" Draco asked.

"Miss Granger and Harry Potter formed an illegal club that was teaching students dangerous and forbidden spells at Hogwarts. She forced us all to sign a parchment of secrecy. I stood it as long as I could, but they were teaching us very dangerous spells, and I thought it was wrong all along. Someone was going to get hurt, so I reported the club to the High Inquisitor, Delores Umbridge…who represented the Ministry. I was doing the right thing. And then…and then…"

The witch dramatically burst into great sobbing tears. Draco gallantly offered her his handkerchief, drawing it from within his robes and handing it to her.

"I know…I know it is difficult reliving such a horrible event in your life, but try to control yourself and finish, Miss Edgecombe," Draco said soothingly.

Marietta gulped a few times, then regained her composure.

"Practiced," Cronnie whispered to Hermione. "The whole thing is staged."

Hermione didn't reply, but just stared at the witch. She hadn't known the marks would be permanent. The Spells Mistress felt terrible.

"Wow, mum," Mathias murmured to himself, rather shocked at the testimony, "I never knew you were so vindictive."

"Then these terrible oozing sores appeared on my face, spelling out the word "SNEAK", the witch gasped. "And they took forever to heal."

Draco shook his head sympathetically.

"Yes, and we can see the results of that, Miss Edgecombe. Did Miss Granger make any attempt at reparation?" he asked the witch.

"No. She didn't care one bit how she ruined my face. She never even apologized to me, and everyone else treated me like a pariah," the witch said, sobbing again.

"Now that's just terrible. Terrible," Draco said, looking at the jury. A few of them looked visibly sympathetic to Marietta's plight.

Cronnie was staring at the witch intently. His brow furrowed for a moment…then he smirked.

"You have our sympathy, Miss Edgecombe. You were another victim of Miss Granger's violence. We are so sorry for you. Although the statue of limitations has run out on this crime, maybe you will find some small satisfaction in Miss Granger's paying the price for her latest acts. Defense's witness."

Marietta continued to sniffle as Cronnie rose and approached the witness stand.

He studied the witch's face.

"Miss Edgecombe…you are aware of how an oath in a hearing of this type works, are you not?" he asked her.

Marietta's eyes narrowed at him suspiciously.

"Yes, it keeps you from telling a lie," the witch said slowly.

"And you haven't exactly lied to us, have you? You have recounted the events of what happened to you correctly, am I right?" he asked her.

"Yes," she replied.

"But you do know that lying under oath is punishable by sixty days in Azkaban, don't you?" he asked.

Marietta nodded, looking a bit nervous now.

"Is there anything in your testimony that you would like to recant?" Cronnie asked her, his gray eyes glittering at her. "If you do it now, you will be forgiven."

Marietta looked at the wizard, and the jury looked at her hesitant reaction. Some began to look a bit suspicious. Then Marietta's eyes hardened.

"It happened just as I said it did," she declared firmly.

Cronnie nodded and walked a distance away from her.

"Yes, Miss Edgewood, I imagine it did. You joined a club that was training students to prepare to battle the forces of the Dark Lord in apparent good faith, signing your name to a parchment that stated you would not reveal this club to anyone. Then you broke your promise, probably in order to get yourself in better with Miss Umbridge and received a punishment for your betrayal. By the way, that group of students successfully battled a contingent of deatheaters in this very Ministry, thwarting the Dark Lord goal of getting his hands on a Prophecy that concerned him and Harry Potter. Did you know that?"

"I heard something of it," Marietta said dismissively, but it still doesn't change what happened to me."

Cronnie looked at her.

"Maybe it doesn't, Miss Edgecombe, but this certainly does!"

Cronnie thrust his hand at Marietta, whispering a spell and her face cleared. Not a blemish on it. The audience members gasped.

"A glamour, Miss Edgecombe! A glamour! You entered these chambers with the express purpose of misconstruing the truth. The oath didn't catch you because you didn't claim the marks remained on your face…"

Here Cronnie turned towards Draco.

"But Lord Malfoy did…and he is not under oath.

"You received, Miss Edgecombe, your just desserts for betraying a group you purported to support, just as you will receive your just desserts now! Aurors!" Cronnie called out.

The Aurors on the double doors of the chambers walked forward and took hold of Marietta, who screamed, "Draco! Draco, you said it would be foolproof! That it would be easy money, damn you! Draco! Help me!"

Draco dropped in his seat, holding his head in his hands as Marietta was taken out of the witness box and escorted from the chambers. She was on her way to cool her heels in Azkaban for two months.

Cronnie looked at Draco.

"Any more witnesses, my Lord?" he asked him.

Draco knew he was in deep shit now. It wouldn't come up in this trial but there would be an inquiry into his relationship with Miss Edgecombe. He was sure he could slither his way out of it…but it would be extremely uncomfortable.

"Man, your dad sucks at this," Mathias said to Jasmine, who scowled at him. "Every witness he calls makes him look worse and worse. It's like he's on trial and not mum."

Jasmine pinched her nose. Mathias was right. Her father really deserved what he was getting but she couldn't help feeling bad for him. He was her father after all. Maybe he'd learn something from all this.

Hermione leaned toward Cronnie as he returned to his seat.

"How did you know she was glamoured?" Hermione asked him.

"Because a glamour is an illusion. A very small illusion…there is a slight delay in the motion of it. It has to catch up to sudden movements of the body. It's very slight, but if you are familiar with the phenomenon, then you can catch it. Luckily for you, Miss Granger, I am familiar with it," he said, waiting for Draco to call his next witness. "She was quite a sympathetic witness against you. Until she was proven to be a traitor and a liar, that is."

Draco reached in his pocket for his handkerchief to wipe his face and realized it was on its way to Azkaban with Marietta. He scowled slightly, then stood.

"I call my next witness, Miss Delores Umbridge," Draco said.

There was a lot of motion in the back row, punctuated by high pitched grunting and scattered groans as Delores Umbridge struggled past the witches and wizards, her flat, large ass brushing against them in the process…which was the reason for the groans.

The witch rolled down the aisle and after two tries, slid her bulk into the witness box. Draco was staring at her with a frank look of distaste on his face. She had to be the most unappealing witch he had ever seen. His look was mirrored by the audience.

Mathias' face contorted.

"What is that?" he hissed.

Jasmine elbowed him, hard.

"You're at a legal procedure, Mathias. Behave yourself," she hissed back at him.

Mathias arched a discriminating eyebrow.

"By the look of her, I thought I might be in swamp or marsh," he whispered, only to get another hard elbow. Good thing he was in shape. Jasmine had very pointy elbows.

Delores Umbridge really was quite toad-like, even more so when she was rousting the halls of Hogwarts years ago, if that was possible. She was large, squat, with a long toad-like mouth. It didn't help a bit that she had a small bow in her iron-gray hair that looked like a fly resting on her locks. She settled into the chair in the witness box looking for all the world like a smaller version of a muggle fantasy creature named Jabba the Hut from a fictional book named "Star Wars."

Hermione looked at the witch, who met her eyes hatefully for a moment before composing herself. Draco was really scraping the bottom of the tankard to find people who hated her.

Draco cleared his throat.

"Your name please," the wizard asked the witch politely.

"Delores Jane Umbridge," she said in a girlish, high-pitched voice that seemed completely wrong for her.

"And your line of work, Miss Umbridge?" he asked her.

"I'm retired," Delores said, "After a long and dedicated service to the Ministry of Magic under Minister Fudge…who was unfairly railroaded by the way."

Fudge was found out accepting bribes from deatheaters to report on the goings-on at Hogwarts, which was why he sent Delores to the school in the first place. He was still in Azkaban.

"Yes, I've heard as much," Draco said, not wanting to upset the witch concerning Fudge.

"Are you familiar with the accused, Hermione Granger, Miss Umbridge?" Draco asked her.

Delores Umbridge narrowed her toadish eyes as she looked at the witch.

"I certainly am. Miss Granger is the most sneaky, rule-breaking, authority-hating witch it has ever be my displeasure to know. She is a liar, and a good one, believe me."

Draco raised his eyebrows.

"Really, Miss Umbridge. Can you give the jury an example of her abilities?" he inquired.

"Most certainly. Certainly. As High Inquisitor, I had a certain flare for discerning lying students. Despite my skill and experience, Miss Granger managed to lead me into a centaur ambush, handing me over to the creatures who carried me away and did unmentionable things to me," she said, her eyes glazing fondly for a moment. "I was rescued eventually by Albus Dumbledore, who took his time coming to my aid."

"I know about this sicko," Cronnie said to Hermione.

"I see. And this affected you how?" Draco asked.

"For months afterwards I was wakened from my sleep by the sounds of hoof beats. It was horrible…oh and the dreams. Great randy centaurs bearing down on me with their naked upper bodies and huge erect, dripping co…"

"Ah, we get the drift of it, Miss Umbridge," Draco said, his stomach turning.

The witch had been fucked by centaurs? Actually, looking at her…it made sense. No wizard in his right mind would touch her.

"Did Miss Granger ever try to make reparations?" he asked the witch.

"No. No she didn't. No one did. I did go back looking for the centaurs however, in case they wanted to…" she began.

"Er…that's enough about that subject, Miss Umbridge. In your estimation, is Miss Granger suitable for Ministry employ in a position of authority?" Draco asked her hastily.

A look of horror crossed the witch's face.

"No. Never. Never. Never. Never. It would be a desecration of the Ministry and its fine standards. The witch should have never made it through the doors, though I always suspected she screwed her way to the top," the witch said, scowling at the petite witch.

Hermione's eyebrows rose in disbelief at this statement.

Mathias really wished he had his wand. Suddenly he concentrated.

Jasmine felt the wizard slump against her.

"Mathias? Mathias are you all right?" she whispered shaking the wizard. He didn't respond.

Suddenly Delores stood up in the witness box.

"I am a fat, lying toady!" she announced, then dropped heavily back into the chair, looking bewildered.

Jasmine stared at the witch as did the rest of the audience, then she returned to trying to rouse Mathias.

"Mathias!" Jasmine hissed, still shaking the wizard. He blinked and straightened.

"What happened?" he asked her.

"I don't know…it was as if you had a narcoleptic episode or something," the witch replied.

"Maybe I'll go see Madame Pomfrey when I get back to Hogwarts," he responded.

"Yeah, you do that," the witch said, looking at him anxiously, "Anyway, you missed it. Umbridge stood up and announced she was a lying toad."

"Really?" Mathias said, smirking.

He loved soul travel. Even if he could only do it for a moment or two.

Draco did a fast recovery.

"But surely you are not lying about this, Miss Umbridge?" he urged.

"Um…no…no I'm not," the witch replied, still shaken. It felt as if someone else had been controlling her body for a moment, crowding her over and making her move. She was going to see a healer as soon as she got home.

"Good. Defense's witness," Draco said, hurrying to his seat.

What the fuck just happened?

Cronnie stood up and approached the witch.

"Miss Umbridge, your despotic reign at Hogwarts is remembered by teachers and students alike with fear and loathing. You systematically closed off all contact with the outside world, dumbed down classes and ruled with an iron wand," he said to her.

"Yes I did. Those were good times," she said dreamily.

"Miss Umbridge, remember you are under oath. Wasn't your presence at Hogwarts meant to quash the truth about the return of Voldemort at the Minister's urging?" he asked the witch.

Delores' mouth worked as the oath came down on her.

"Yes," she grunted. "And to keep Harry Potter from spreading lies," she added.

"But they weren't lies, were they?" he asked the witch.

"Eventually we found out the Dark Lord really had returned, yes, to lead us to a better world," the witch replied. "A world were purebloods will reign supreme and mudbloods like Miss Granger will be regulated to the lowest strata of society, where they belong," she spat.

The muggle-born members of the jury frowned slightly at this declaration.

"Miss Umbridge, are you by chance a member of the DKV?" Cronnie asked her.

In response, Delores jerked up her robes sleeve and displayed her Dark Mark.

"I most certainly am, and am proud to be. Muggle-borns do not belong among us at all if you ask me. I am currently working on a committee that is focused on creating a separate wizarding state where they all can go. Separate but equal. That would solve the mudblood problem most satisfactorily," she said.

Cronnie looked at the witch, then back at Draco, who once again had his head in his hands. Didn't he screen his witnesses?

"No more, questions, Miss Umbridge. You may step down," Cronnie said.

"But, but don't you want to hear about other projects in the works…like the Muggle-born sterilization program and the…"

"That will be enough, Miss Umbridge…you…may…step…down!" Draco hissed at the witch.

Gods she must be senile.

Hermione just shook her head in disbelief as the audience murmured among themselves. What a damning comment on the activities of the DKV. This statement was made in a legal proceeding, and despite the Ministry's hands-off policy concerning the DKV, this very public statement warranted an investigation into the matter. The planned sterilization of a whole segment of wizarding citizens was a horrifying thought to consider.

"This court is adjourned," Minister Figglesworth said. The wizard's eyes were completely bloodshot and he looked as if he hadn't slept in days. "We will reconvene tomorrow at nine o'clock to continue this…this…"

The Minister looked at Draco wearily.

"…this 'trial,'" he finished.

The Auror announced for everyone to stand as the Council filed out.

"I can only imagine what the newspapers will say about this tomorrow," Hermione said to Cronnie as they slipped out from behind their table.

"I have no idea, but I know it will sell papers," he replied as they exited the courtroom. "But I think Draco is out of witnesses. So tomorrow, the prosecution rests and the real fun starts."

The lawyer grinned wickedly, his eyes lighting up.

Tomorrow was going to be a red-letter day.

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A/N: Man, can I make it any worse for Draco???? Lolol. First a lying witness, then a senile one. Man oh man. Still, can't feel sorry for him. Ooh, Mathias…you bad, bad little wizard. . Hey, she insulted his mum. What's a wizard to do? Anyway, please review.