Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hermione sat in her seat alone and anxious as the absence of Harry and Ron from the train continued to fill her with anxiety about the fate of the two boys. She had already talked to McGonagall about their absence from the train and had told it to the prefect as well, yet they were still not here.

The sorting had begun already, and Professor McGonagall had already finished calling out half the names. Ginny Weasley, Ron's sister, had been sorted into Gryffindor, drawing a massive cheer from the twins and the red table as a whole, and sat a couple of seats after her, bubbling with excitement, though she was also a bit worried about Ron's absence from the feast.

The black-haired girl she had been chatting with during the train ride, had been sorted into Slytherin. Astoria had been her name, Astoria Greengrass, and Hermione wondered whether the bubbly girl was related to Daphne Greengrass from her class.

The whole Hall was buzzing with the chatter of students as McGonagall moved through the lists, and then it happened.

"Crovus Lestrange!" Professor McGonagall called, and then suddenly, the whole call became quiet. It somewhat reminded her of the time when Harry's name had been called last year, yet while it had been a sort of anticipation that had filled the heart at that time, the feeling was quite different this time.

The students whispered amongst themselves, seemingly unnerved, as they craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the boy in question.

"They allowed him to come here! What were they thinking!"

"I heard that Augusta Longbottom opposed his acceptance into the school!"

"Look, he looks just like her pictures!"

And she recognized the boy. He had been sitting with her in the compartment along with Astoria and Ginny. He had been relatively quiet throughout the journey, only speaking up when the bubbly Astoria forced her to join in. He had black hair, that had been allowed to grow out, but unlike Harry's unruly hair, his had a bit of a curl to them. And as he turned to face the silent hall, she finally got a good look at his face.

He was thin, not as thin as Harry but thin still, and had a pale face, but what was most striking about him were his eyes. They were red, a dark red, that she found quite striking. She felt that even the teachers were a bit quizzy as the sorting had been placed on his forehead, and then suddenly it shouted.

"Slytherin!" and the boy's robes and ties got changed into the Slytherin colors, there was a little clap from the Slytherin table but the rest of the Hall dissolved into murmuring once more, making her frown, for she still didn't know why they were doing this, and why did she find his name so familiar.

She leaned closer to Angelina, who sat by her side and spoke softly to the senior.

"Why is everyone so interested in him? Who is he?" she questioned, and saw the senior shift nervously before replying in a small voice.

"I thought you would have known. Well, he is the son of You-Know-Who's two most devout followers, Bellatrix and Rudolphus Lestrange, both of them are in Azkaban for life…." And she stilled as she heard those words, as her eyes moved towards the Slytherin table instinctively.

0000

AMELIA BONES

War had ravaged the wizarding world of the British Isles, Voldemort's second ascension had caught them all by surprise, and they had been unable to stop the man from razing their world to the ground.

The corrupt practices of her predecessor had made it so that most of his followers had escaped a prison sentence in their trials after the Dark Lord's initial demise and had been quick to return to their Lord's side after he rose up the second time. This, in addition to the belated response of the power-hungry and corrupt Cornelius Fudge, had nearly lost them in the war.

Yet they had succeeded in the end, battered and bruised, with thousands lost in battle, but they had won. Four years after his second ascension, the Boy-Who-lived struck again, living up to his name as he brought an end to the Dark Lord's reign of terror.

Their battle's secrets remained hidden still, despite a year since that fortune day. Harry Potter had been tight-lipped about what had transpired in his final battle against the Dark Lord. His companion, of his two companions, only one had survived. The muggle-born witch had also remained tight-lipped about the details of their alteration.

Yet the war hadn't truly ended that day. No, it had continued for the whole year as the Ministry fought to bring order back to the wizarding world of the British Isles. Voldemort may have been dead, yet his death Eaters, and so did his idealogy, which continued to attract a number if disgruntled and marginalized group of people who tried to carry on his legacy.

She watched as her fellow jurors sat nervously in their seats, and even now, as she glanced at all the empty seats in the Wizengamont, her heart sunk in pain at the loss of life this war had brought upon them as she watched the various empty seats in the courtroom.

She glanced at the clock and saw that it was exactly twelve. Meaning that it was time to begin the trial.

The Final trial.

The prosecutor, a young Percival Wesley, stood up as the Aurors brought in the accused. And she hardened her heart as she saw his face once more, a boy nearly the same age as her niece. His face was thin, and his hair disheveled, yet despite his youth, she was acutely aware of just how dangerous he was.

Crovus Lestrange, son of Bellatrix and Rudolphus Lestrange, had his usual look of indifference on his face as the Aurors walked him to the chair. She had seen grown men and women reduced to mere husks as the dementors sucked the literal life out of them, and many of them would beg for mercy or even death.

Yet despite spending nearly a year under the influence of the Dementors, the boy remained impassive and strong-willed. And this made her remember the fact that the boy had been recruited by the Dark Lord personally while still being a student.

She heard the crowd begin to shift as cameras flashed as they started the final Death Eater trial. A trial for a prodigy who had been once called the heir to the Dark Lord. A boy raised and trained by Britain's most dangerous wizard, hailed as his successor.

The list of his crimes was massive, including leading an assault against her. An assault during which she had crossed wands with the young man and had barely escaped with her life, a testament to his skill with a wand that he had been able to go toe to toe with her despite being a mere teen. Yet that was just the beginning.

While talented, Crovus Lestrange had been hailed as a simply talented student at Hogwarts, yet all that changed in a single night, when the boy killed the only person who was a match for the Dark Lord. Albus Dumbledore, the man who had fought in two Great Wars, had faced the likes of Grindelwald and Voldemort, holding them at bay, and protecting the wizarding world of the British Isles.

A man who had been the symbol of hope in their darkest hours, a continuous flame, extinguished by a mere boy.

"As the Supreme Mugwump of the Wizengamont, I call the court in session," she said as she banged the gavel, quieting the whole room. She watched from the corner of her eyes as the Heroes of the Wizarding World sat there in the stands watching the proceedings below with sharp eyes.

Harry Potter and Hermione Granger had never attended any of the trials, yet there was little chance they would miss this one. After all, Albus Dumbledore wasn't the only person he was accused of killing, there was someone else, someone much younger, a member of the Golden Trio.

Ronald Bilius Weasley.

"Today, on the thirteenth of October, we are all gathered here for the trial of Crovus Lestrange Black. The charges against him are," and she opened the file and read through the charges.

The list was long, including terrorism, torture, murder, and several other allegations. Yet the one which caused the whole room to react was,

"murder of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, murder of Ronald Bilius Weasley,….." she read and heard the court gasp as she continued.

"...Conspiracy to bring down the government and treason," she finished and watched as the whole room became still.

"Let us begin the trial," she said, and the prosecutor stood up.

"Percy William Weasley for the people," spoke the read head through gritted teeth as he glared at the impassive form of Crovus, she motioned for him to sit down, and then she glanced towards the young accused, who sat there alone.

There was no one sitting there at the desk, and just as she was about to ask about the tardiness of the public defendant, a voice reverberated through the Hall.

"Daphne Ophelia Greengrass for the defense," and the whole room gasped as the doors to the courtroom swung open. She frowned as she saw the young woman dressed in a suit step forward amidst the murmurs of the people.

Daphne Greengrass was a rising name in the legal world. Despite the demise of the Dark Lord, people remained afraid, and were hesitant to prosecute his followers. And yet, many had been surprised when a young lawyer had stepped up, taking on the cases of the worst of the Dark Lord's followers, despite the danger to her life, had prosecuted them, making it so that they got the justice they deserved.

Her courage had been the symbol they had needed, and many others had stepped up following her example. And that was the reason that she was so surprised that she was here defending, Crovus.

A known death eater and she was defending him. This was a massive surprise.

The crowd broke out into chatter, and she watched as the cameras flashed as the young witch approached the accused, who had a frown on his face. She saw him open his mouth, and just as he was about to speak up, Daphne interrupted him.

"At this moment, I would like to request a short recess to consult with my client," spoke the young witch as she passed a copy of the motion to the bailiff. It was unorthodox, calling for a recess this early, and she wouldn't have granted it normally, yet as she looked into her eyes, she felt a jolt pass through her.

The girl had stepped up to help the Ministry while full-grown witches and wizards were running away, and so she decided to agree to the motion despite the thousand questions running through her mind.

Why had she done this? Why was she defending him?

"The Court accepts this request. The trial will resume in fifteen minutes," she said as she stuck the gavel and watched as pandemonium broke out, as the press rushed towards the gates to get an interview with the infamous Daphne Greengrass.

0000

DAPHNE GREENGRASS

Daphne walked towards the room where Crovus was being detained. The two Aurors stood taut outside the door and moved to block her, making her raise a brow. Both of them seemed quite young and were probably fresh out of the Auror academy.

"I am his lawyer, so you better move out of the way unless you want to be served with a lawsuit for gross misconduct and obstruction of justice," she spoke angrily, making the two young Aurors exchange nervous glances, before they moved out of her way, cursing her and Crovus.

She opened the door and walked into the small room. Crovus sat there on a bench by the wall, his hands still chained to the desk. Her eyes swept over his form, raking in all the details she had missed in their short interaction in the court.

Her heart twisted in agony with every passing second as she saw his thin and frail body. His skin had lost all its color and had become pale as if it belonged to a vampire. His clothes hung loosely over his thin frame, and while he had always been thin, this was way beyond normal.

She saw his face turn towards those hollow red orbs scanning her from head to toe as, and their eyes met, and she felt anger at herself and at the whole world for the lifelessness she saw in that gaze. His lips turned up slightly, reminding her of much simpler times, times when the world was simpler.

Times when she was alive.

"From what I recall, you never wanted to see me again? And now you come here pretending to be my lawyer," he spoke slowly, his tone even and unhurried, yet his eyes suddenly narrowed.

"If you are here for some sort of revenge, then I can assure you there is no need for you to go through all this trouble. Even without your assistance there is a high chance that I won't be able to escape the kis…."

"I know everything, Crovus!" she cut in, making him stop mid-sentence as his body stilled for a moment, his eyes widened, and she felt him fidget for a moment. A moment only before he regained his composure, highlighting his mastery over the mind arts.

"I don't know what you are…." he tried to lie again, like he had all those years ago. Like he had been doing for so many years.

"There is no need to lie to me, Crovus. It's all over now," she cut in and the room became quiet at her words. He turned his gaze away from her, and she felt his body slump, as his fists balled up, and she finally saw sadness ripple through him as he softly muttered.

"Yeah, it really is, isn't it," and she had an understanding that those words were spoken in a very different context than most people thought. His voice broke as he said those words, and his hands shook slightly. They were smaller than her own hands, and she was reminded once more that the person sitting in front of her was even younger than her by a year.

"Astoria always suspected something fishy was going on with you," she began and saw his head snap towards her at the mention of her sister. And when she got that letter, she had berated herself for not taking her sister's words seriously. Perhaps if she had, then they wouldn't be here.

"Even in her last moments, she remained adamant in her views about you, despite everything. And I should have…" She chewed her lips in anger as her fists balled up in anger, and she felt angry at herself for her naivety. She took a deep breath to calm herself and looked straight into his eyes.

"You don't owe me anything, Daphne, you don't have to do…."

"I do!" she cut in angrily, as she walked up to him, and lowered herself to his level, as she held his hands. They were cold to the touch, filled with callouses, and so thin that she could feel his bones.

"And not just me. The whole society owes you a lot. And I am going to make sure they realize that," she finished as she looked him in the eye.

"You are a good person Crovus. Otherwise, Astoria wouldn't have loved you like she did. She wouldn't want to see you like this, so you are going to let me represent you to the best of my abilities, and I am going to make sure that the whole world finds out the truth behind this war," and just as he was about to retort she cut in.

"Consider it her last wish, Crovus, please. Let me do this," she said and saw him close his mouth, after which he finally gave a small nod.

"Ok!" he acquiesced, and she gave a nod in return as she stood up. She had spent the last few months preparing for this exact moment, collecting evidence, understanding the whole story, and now it was time to use it.

It was time for the world to see the truth behind the war.

0000

HERMIONE GRANGER

The fifteen minutes break ended and Hermione walked back to her seat in the Court Room as Amelia Bones and the rest of the jury walked back into their chairs. Harry sat beside her, his eyes focused on the accused and the person standing by his side.

"Why is she doing this? Representing him of all people, what the hell is she even thinking," she heard him mutter through gritted teeth, and she agreed with the sentiment.

She considered Daphne Greengrass a comrade, if not a friend. The Greengrass were primarily neutral in the war but that had not been enough for Voldemort, who had killed off her parents for their defiance after his rise, orphaning the two sisters.

Her eyes moved from the girl in question to the accused, Crovus, and a shiver ran through her spine as she saw those red orbs.

"He used to be quite close to her sister. Is that the reason she is doing this?" questioned Harry, and she just shrugged.

"I don't know," but she had an inkling that there was more to this story. Way more.

And she wasn't the only one. The reporters felt the same, and everyone was holding their breaths as Amelia Bones brought down her gavel, indicating the beginning of the trial.

THUNK.THUNK.THUNK.

It was time for opening statements.

0000

A/N: All text in Italics primarily represents the scenes from the past.

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