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 95 ~

"Miss Granger, you really need to get more sleep!" Cronnie said, handing Hermione another flask of pepper-up potion from his briefcase. "I know the trial has you on edge but you simply have to try a get your rest at night."

Hermione turned a bleary eye on Cronnie as she opened the flask. He had no idea what she went through last night. Severus had returned from his talk with Mathias acting very strangely. He climbed into bed with her and began kissing her and muttering against her mouth something like…"if you can touch it…" And it went on from there. The Potions Master fucked her unmercifully, brought her to three intense orgasms and left her absolutely exhausted. Then he rolled off her, pulled her to him, muttered "The Close" and abruptly fell asleep.

She didn't even get a chance to ask him what he and Mathias talked about.

There were no protestors outside the Ministry. Demonstrations had been banned for the duration of the trial. Quite a few witches and wizards involved in yesterday's riot had been arrested or sent to St. Mungos from both sides. It took more than an hour and over one hundred Aurors to break the riot up. Luckily, no one was killed in the fray.

Draco Malfoy sat at the prosecutor's table looking tired. After Professor Binns, the wizard didn't know what to expect. He stood with the rest of the audience as the Council members filed in, looking worse than they did yesterday. Minister Figglesworth would be glad when this trial was over. They had a lot of work to do to restore the Ministry to pre-DKV status. It was the Council's hope that by rescinding the pro-pureblood changes they had instituted, and issuing public apologies that they might save their positions on the Ministry Council.

Minister Figglesworth looked at Cronnie.

"Do you have any other witnesses to call for the defense, Mr. Jockrin?" he asked the wizard, who was dressed in bright green robes with orange stars this morning.

Cronnie rose.

"Yes sir. I have only one more witness to call for the defense," he announced.

Draco sat up straight. Only one more witness…thank the gods. A murmur went up from the audience.

Cronnie looked around the courtroom dramatically.

"I call," he said, "Lord Draco Malfoy to the witness stand!"

"What?" Draco bellowed, standing up and turning bright red with rage. "Me?"

"Yes, you, my Lord. Your reforms are what caused Miss Granger to be replaced in the first place. Your motivations and purposes are in question. In essence, sir…only you can give this case the proper closure. Now up you go, if you please sir," Cronnie said.

Draco looked at the Minister.

"But I am the prosecutor. To be a witness in this case is a conflict of interest. Besides, I can't very well cross-examine myself!" the wizard said desperately.

Draco didn't want to be subjected to the oath. He would be forced to tell the truth concerning anything Cronnie asked him. Gods, he was in hell. This chamber was hell.

Minister Figglesworth consulted with the other Council members.

"This might get the noose from around our necks and securely around Draco's" the Minister whispered to the others as Draco looked on. He knew immediately he was a goner…the Council's sacrificial niffler.

Minister Figglesworth looked from Draco to Cronnie.

"We are going to allow this, Mr. Jockrin. Lord Malfoy, please be sworn in," the wizard said.

"Fine," Draco spat, stalking around the prosecutor's table and standing in front of the Auror to be administered the oath. "But I want it recorded that I am testifying under duress."

"Your protest will be duly noted, Lord Malfoy," the Minister replied as the wizard walked into the witness box and dropped into the chair sullenly. His ice blue eyes rested on Cronnie, who gave him a rather evil grin.

The lawyer strolled up to the witness stand.

"Your name please?" he asked Draco politely.

"Lord Draco Lucius Malfoy," the wizard replied angrily.

"And your line of work?" Cronnie asked him, his gray eyes glittering.

"Duly Elected Council Member for the Ministry of Magic," Draco replied.

Cronnie looked at him.

"Is that your only position, Lord Malfoy?" Cronnie pressed.

"I am also the co-founder of the Dark Knights of Valor," the wizard said, frowning as murmurs rose from the crowd.

Cronnie's bushy eyebrows rose.

"Co-founder, you say? May I ask who the other founder is?" the lawyer inquired.

Draco hesitated but the oath compelled him.

"Lord Voldemort," he hissed.

Cronnie looked at him.

"Lord Voldemort? Isn't he supposed to be in exile from the wizarding world?" Cronnie inquired.

"He is. I act on his behalf since he is unable to do so openly. He is being hunted," the blonde wizard said.

"I see. So you admit you consort with criminals, Lord Malfoy?" Cronnie asked.

Draco was no fool. Voldemort was considered a criminal and the oath would not let him say no. But he could work around it if he were careful.

"I work with a brilliant individual who has grand plans for the wizarding world who cannot represent himself because he is being targeted by the Order and others," the wizard replied.

Cronnie looked at him. Nice save, Draco.

"I see. A rose by any other name, Lord Draco," Cronnie replied dismissively, walking over to his briefcase and removing several pieces of parchment. He approached the council bench.

"I would like to introduce this photo to the trial. Here are the certifications that attests to the photo's authenticity," Cronnie said smoothly.

Minister Figglesworth blanched and passed the photo around the Council. Every member went pale as a ghost as the labeled picture passed from hand to hand. Minister Figglesworth examined the seals on the certifications, then looked at Cronnie, his eyes wide.

"How did you get this?" he asked Cronnie.

"I will explain when I formally introduce it," the lawyer replied.

Minister Figglesworth started to hand the photo back, but Cronnie held up his hand.

"No, keep it. Believe me I have plenty," he said.

Cronnie walked back to his briefcase and took out a large stack of photos and handed all but one of them to the Auror.

"When I introduce this picture to Lord Malfoy, please distribute one photo apiece to the jury and the audience," he directed.

Draco was watching Cronnie with narrowed eyes. What was he playing at?

Cronnie looked at the wizard and walked up to him, handing him the photo.

"Lord Malfoy, can you please tell me who that is?" the lawyer asked him as Draco's face paled.

"How did you get this? It is impossible that you have this. It's a forgery. It has to be!" he exclaimed.

Cronnie gave him a rather exasperated look.

"Lord Malfoy, you know it is illegal for me to introduce any falsified documents into a trial. This image was taken from the mind of one Harry Potter. It is from his fourth year. Experts examined him and declared the memory to be a true one. The photo or Pens-pic was captured by a Pensieve Camera that takes snapshots of a witch's or wizard's memories and commits them to film. This was done in the presence of several recognized authorities. Now I ask you again, who is that wizard?"

Gasps went up around the courtroom as the pictures were passed out. One witch fainted, and a wizard ran from the room. So did the newspaper reporters, clutching the image in their hands.

"Lord Voldemort," Draco said miserably.

"Ah, you mean the same Lord Voldemort who co-founded the DKV?" Cronnie asked.

"Yes," Draco said, defeated.

The photo of Voldemort was a damning one, and in color. The Dark Wizard was clearly casting the Killing Curse at Harry, the image of him stepping forth in all his thin, scaly, lipless glory, snarling the spell and the dread green light blasting from the tip of his wand. Luckily, Harry's own wand, a brother to Voldemort's, stopped it.

The picture made every member of the audience flinch the first time it was viewed. The Killing curse was terrifying, and the malice of the wizard was evident.

At that same moment, hired witches and wizards were handing out the very same photos all over the wizarding world to passersbys, who reacted with horror at seeing the Dark Lord as he really appeared. Members of the DKV stared at the image with disbelief. This was the monster whose tenets they were blindly following? He wasn't even human, and that was a thousand times worse than a muggle-born. Plus he was clearly breaking the law and casting the Killing curse at someone in an attempt to kill them.

The Dark Lord's appearance and his violence captured forever on film was the final rock cake that broke the back of the DKV. The Dark Knights of Valor's headquarters was descended upon by droves of witches and wizards seeking to formally withdraw their memberships.

"What kind of curse do you think he is casting, Mr. Malfoy?" Cronnie asked him.

"An Unforgivable," Draco responded sullenly.

"The Killing curse to be exact, Lord Malfoy. And this is the wizard you serve? If anyone is unfit to hold a Ministry position…it is you sir!" Cronnie bellowed at the wizard.

Draco didn't reply. There was nothing he could say.

"Lord Malfoy, is Voldemort even human?" Cronnie asked him

"Yes, he is," Draco said. The oath didn't stop him from saying this.

Voldemort was human after a manner of speaking, but was terribly disfigured by the potions he took to stay strong. Snake venom figured strongly in those brews, which accounted for the transformation he underwent.

"It has come to my attention, Lord Malfoy that you held clandestine parties where the Dark Lord met with individuals from the DKV and evaluated the children of his most trusted deatheaters to see if they were worthy to serve and choose the positions they would occupy in his ranks. Is this so?" Cronnie asked.

"Yes," Draco said.

"You realize that this was illegal being the Dark Lord is in exile and not supposed to set foot in the wizarding world," Cronnie said.

"There is no solid proof the Dark Lord committed any atro…"

Suddenly Draco began to choke, his face reddening as the oath throttled him for attempting to lie.

"Yesssss! Yesssss!" he gasped. Suddenly he was able to breathe again.

Cronnie looked at him.

"But you weren't alone in this, Lord Malfoy. How can we expect the law to be enforced when members of the Council itself went and paid homage to the Dark Lord?" Cronnie said, his eyes shifting toward the Council members. "Their presence absolves you of guilt, Lord Malfoy simply because it shows that they all supported him as well and were unwilling to have him arrested."

The entire Council seemed to sink into their seats, and Minister Figglesworth cursed the day he had ever laid eyes on Draco Malfoy.

"Did the Dark Lord look like this at the gatherings you arranged?" Cronnie asked Draco.

"No, he didn't" the wizard responded.

"And why do you suppose that is, my Lord?" the wizard asked him.

"Because of his difference in appearance, he might not have been accepted by the DKV membership. They would not have seen past his appearance to take advantage and absorb the powerful ideals he represented," Draco replied.

"In other words, they would not have followed him or the DKV line he authored," Cronnie said.

"No," Draco admitted.

"So in other words, the DKV line was pushed forward in the Ministry, to the membership and to the public dishonestly. Voldemort and his precepts were represented to be acceptable…something they were not. Is that correct, Lord Malfoy?"

"Yes," Draco said, his eyes hard.

Cronnie looked at Hermione.

"So the reforms you passed were also accepted under these same false pretenses. In other words you continued to perpetrate the lie that was Voldemort." Cronnie surmised.

Draco nodded.

"You cannot make a lie into the law, Lord Malfoy. You did manage to work the DKV line into the Ministry regulations, but by your own admission they are null and void since the entire DKV itself was based on misrepresentation. So the decision made to remove Hermione Granger from her position is also…null and void sir. The decision was decidedly illegal, and every action passed by the Council based on that line should be rescinded immediately," Cronnie said. "You may step down, Lord Malfoy."

Draco slunk out of the jury box and to his seat. The eyes of the Council all rested on him murderously. As far as they were concerned, Draco had ruined them. All of them.

Cronnie turned to the jury to make a closing statement.

"My friends, I am not saying Miss Hermione Granger was right to do what she did in the Spells Department…but it was a small reactionary act. You have heard during this trial much greater crimes committed that led to her outbursts. If these crimes had not occurred, neither would have Miss Granger's reaction. On the basis of this fact, not to mention the testimony we have heard from our witnesses as to the bigotry behind her removal, I believe Miss Hermione Granger should be acquitted of all charges simply because the illegal chain of events leading up to her outburst was put into motion by Draco Malfoy and the Ministry itself…wrongly and unfairly. Make the right decision, my friends. Acquit Hermione Granger."

Cronnie turned to Draco.

"Does the prosecution wish to make a closing statement?" he asked.

Draco's ice-blue eyes swept over the stern faces of the jury. He needn't waste his time.

"No. No closing statement," he said tiredly.

Cronnie returned to his seat and looked at Figglesworth expectantly. The wizard was staring at him with abject hatred. He had named the Council responsible as well in his closing statement. Figglesworth was praying it would all fall on Draco. But it hadn't. He tore his gaze away from the lawyer, who was looking back at him coolly, and looked at the jury.

"Members of the jury, you will be excused to deliberate. I must inform you that this trial was to focus on the acts of Hermione Granger, and Hermione Granger alone. That is what you should focus on when you deliberate. You are excused and this court will reconvene in one hour," he said.

The Auror opened the jury box and the jurors filed out, glancing toward Hermione then towards Draco before exiting through the side door to the deliberation room. Then the Auror called the room to order and everyone rose as the Council exited as well.

Cronnie leaned into Hermione.

"Now we wait and see," he said soberly.

Hermione was staring at the image of Voldemort.

"Mr. Jockrin…you've broken the DKV," she said in an awed voice, looking up at the wizard.

He shook his head.

"No. The people broke the DKV. All they needed was a push and a bit of stirring up. You were the stirrer, Miss Granger and Rita Skeeter was the push. I was just a catalyst. But I have a feeling the dissolution of the DKV won't solve the wizarding world's problems. There is one very angry Dark Lord out there."

Hermione nodded.

"I know. And all those people still have the Mark, even if they do withdraw from the DKV. He has an army he can use right now if he wishes," she said, a tremor in her voice.

"He will regroup first and get all his dragons in a row before he does that. A takeover requires more than spilled blood, Miss Granger. It requires planning and thought. Voldemort will need to find a way to move into power and restore order. He won't make a move until he figures out exactly how to do that. There is still time to break the Mark."

"Yes," Hermione said, "And there will be plenty of people willing to be tested now. I'll work on the problem day and night until I can break its power."

Cronnie nodded and studied Hermione.

She certainly was a determined little lady.

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An hour later the jury returned. It hadn't taken them five minutes to reach their decision.

"We unanimously find the defendant, Hermione Granger…not guilty and cleared of all charges," the forewitch declared, giving Hermione a big smile. She was a pureblood too.

The courtroom went wild as Hermione's innocence was proclaimed, shouting and hugging as Hermione hugged Cronnie.

The Auror tried to restore order, but finally gave up.

Draco sat with his elbows resting on the prosecutor's table and his head in his hands. He had lost. Everything. Every fucking thing.

The wizard looked at Hermione with hatred as she smiled at the people surging about her, giving her their congratulations.

That gods damn mudblood had outdone him again.

"Draco?"

The wizard looked up to see Minister Figglesworth standing over him, his face set somberly and his fists clenched at his sides. The knuckles were white.

"Yes Minister?" the wizard said, rising.

"I need to talk to you," Figglesworth said, frowning now, "About your immediate resignation from this Council."

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A/N: So, so tired. Too tired for notes. Please review this chapter. I'll read your notes instead. Lol.