19 Years and 5 Minutes Later | By : TheMightyFlynn Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 58416 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 6 |
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any characters related to that series; they are JK Rowling's. I make no money from this. |
A/N: I'm a few hours late with this one and I, unfortunately, have no excuse other than I am exhausted because daylight savings has started. I hope you all like this and that the courtroom scenes actually make sense! :D
“She admitted it, right? So that means we’ve won. Well, pretty much won. They can’t deny that she knew what she was doing, because she fucked up.” Harry paused in his pacing along the wall of the small room Draco had taken him to when the Chief Warlock had called the recess. He had been muttering and gesturing for a few minutes now; this was the first coherent thing he had said. “Right?”
Leaning back against the opposite wall, Draco couldn’t help smiling. He knew it was probably inappropriate of him to be as excited by this new development as he was, but he couldn’t prevent this emotion any more than he could give up his need to breathe.
“There’s probably still a chance that she’ll get sympathy votes, but it certainly seems like things are falling our way.”
Harry returned to his pacing, but not before Draco caught a glimpse of the grin that spread across his face. “But what if the Wizengamot didn’t think it was a confession? Or a slip-up? What if those sympathy votes out-number the sensible ones?”
Draco's smile widened unconsciously as Harry continued to sort through things aloud. He figured each of the questions Harry was posing were rhetorical, as he never paused long enough for Draco to answer them, so he allowed his mind to wander. Ginevra had as good as admitted that her story was completely false when she had declared that Harry would have deserved it if she had been aiming at him, but to confess that she had actually been aiming at Draco as well… He shook his head. Yes, Ginevra had certainly fucked up her testimony, much more than he had with his own.
“You’re still here.”
Looking up, Draco frowned at the sight of Harry standing a few paces from him, his arms crossed loosely across his middle. “If you think I’m going out into that throng of reporters alone, Potter…”
“No, no, that’s not what I mean.” Harry’s arms dropped to his sides as he stared intently at Draco. “You are in a relationship with someone whose ex-wife tried to murder you. No one would think any less of you for not being able to stay with me after today, but here you are.”
Draco rolled his eyes. “For Merlin’s sake, Potter, do I really have to go through this again? I–”
He was cut off as Harry stepped forward and pressed their lips together. Draco’s sudden burst of annoyance was diluted swiftly when one of Harry’s hands slid around to the back of his head and the other dropped to grip his hip, pulling him closer. The kiss was soft, leading Draco to lean into it. Harry’s soft chuckle vibrated through Draco's chest, but he ignored it in favour of getting as close to him as he could. Wrapping an arm around Harry’s waist, he pulled him to his chest as he deepened the kiss. It seemed that Harry was not going to passively allow Draco to control things this time though: he stepped forward a few paces, forcing Draco back against the wall again. There was something about doing this somewhere they ran the risk of being caught that cleared Draco's mind of any sensible thought and he surrendered to the sensations Harry was sending through him. He wasn’t allowed to enjoy them for long this time, however, as Harry soon pulled back, chuckling again as Draco growled his objection.
“I’ll have to think of some way to repay you.” Harry laughed when Draco's only response was to hum quietly. “Maybe the kids will want to stay with their Grandparents tonight.”
Reopening his eyes, Draco smiled. There was a glint in Harry’s eyes that Draco had become incredibly familiar with over the past few months and it sent a wave of desire through him that he knew he had to clamp down on. Taking a deep breath, his mind raced for a subject that would diffuse the fire Harry was attempting to build. The blank look Harry had developed just after hearing Ginevra’s almost-confession flashed through Draco's mind, reminding him that he had meant to ask about it. He took a deep breath to compose himself before speaking.
“You seemed worried in there just before we left.”
That appeared to have done the trick, as Harry’s eyes lost the glint. Frowning, he stepped backwards a few steps and ran a hand through his hair.
“I’ve been worried about this case for a while now; you know that.”
“I do.” Draco nodded, watching Harry carefully. “However, this seemed different.”
Harry sighed and it appeared to Draco almost like he deflated: his shoulders slumped a little; he ran both hands through his hair, pulling it straight out; and he turned to face the opposite wall. He returned to his pacing, although it was much less animated this time.
“I love you.”
Draco smiled. “I know.”
“For half my life… Wait, no. Over. For over half my life, I thought I loved Ginny. I thought we were happy. We had the kids, we had fulfilling careers; we had everything a happily married couple supposedly wants.” He paused in his pacing and turned to pin Draco with an apologetic look. “There was absolutely nothing to indicate that there was this kind of insanity in her. Then…” He waved a hand at Draco. “You happened and everything she’s done over the years came out and she lied to everyone and abandoned the kids and tried to use a love potion on me… I could probably forgive most of that, given enough time.”
Draco could feel his eyes widening as he realised where Harry was heading. “Harry–”
“No, shut up. Do you have any idea what it was like, waiting in that hospital to hear if you were even still alive? That is what I can never forgive her for.” He returned to his pacing, this time with more vigour. “But, mixed in with those emotions are still the memories of the years we spent together and what she was like before all of this. Back in the courtroom, I could see this woman who had given birth to my children, who had looked after me when I got injured at work, who had put up with every single shitty thing I’d done or stupid decision I had made for nineteen years and she was slowly being replaced with this bitter, vicious, spiteful bitch. One who had just admitted to trying to murder you. So, no, to answer your question, I wasn’t worried. I was disappointed, I was angry at both her and myself, I was confused about how I could have ever let her fool me in the way she did, but no, I wasn’t worried.”
How long Draco simply stood and watched Harry pace, he had no idea. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it again a number of times as his chest compressed. He eventually gave up trying to speak when the meaning of Harry’s words began to sink slowly in. Out of all the things Ginevra had done, it was the injury to him that had tipped Harry over the edge; that was one of the things he couldn’t forgive. It was such a powerful realisation that Draco knew he couldn’t ever express everything that was running through him in that moment.
He crossed the room to stand in front of Harry, stopping his pacing. Harry raised an eyebrow at him, but Draco ignored it. Raising a hand, he tangled his fingers through Harry’s hair.
“Marry me.”
Harry stood and blinked at him for a few seconds, displaying the kind of surprise that was currently running through Draco's mind. He hadn’t planned on proposing – hadn’t even thought about it, honestly – but it felt right, despite the shock.
“What?”
Collecting his scattered wits as fast as he could manage, Draco smirked. “Going deaf in your old age, Potter?”
Harry scowled at him, but ran his hands up the front of Draco's robes to come to rest on his collar. “Shut up. You just proposed to me.”
His pulse beginning to race, Draco adjusted his stance, removing his hand from Harry’s hair and wrapping both of them around his waist instead. “I’ll do it properly in the future; just tell me yes now.”
“You’re awfully confident about this.”
“Harry–”
“Yes.”
Draco's words died on his tongue. Yes; he had said yes. His mouth opened and closed a few times again, but anything he might have been going to say was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. He glanced over his shoulder to frown at the door before Harry drew his attention again.
“You might want to work on not gaping at me like a fish for the real thing.”
Harry grinned wide at him before pressing a quick kiss to his lips and moving off towards the door. Draco stood still for a while, simply staring at nothing.
“Mr. Malfoy, is everything alright?”
Draco spun at the sound of Richardson’s voice and was unable to help the wide smile he offered up. “Of course. It’s just been a bit of a… strange day is all.”
*~*
Harry’s heart was racing so fast he thought it a small miracle no one else had apparently noticed it as he made his way back into the courtroom. He was engaged. Well, no, technically he couldn’t be engaged while he was still married, he corrected himself. Was it possible to be pre-engaged? Or was that just dating? He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn’t notice Hermione stepping in front of him until he ran into her.
“Hermione!” He stepped backwards and tried to get his smile under control. “Sorry, I was thinking about something else.”
“I can see that,” she responded with a small smile of her own. “Look, I wanted to intercept you before any of the others and see how you were doing. You looked a little sick when you left the room.”
Harry’s eyes drifted automatically to the door of the waiting room where he assumed Ginny was still holed up with Edwards. “She pretty much just confessed to trying to murder him, Hermione.”
Hermione sighed. “I’m sorry, Harry.” She waited until he turned his eyes back to her before speaking again. “I think Molly hadn’t been expecting a confession of any kind and neither had a few of the boys. It’ll probably take a while for them to accept what she did, if they ever do.”
Judging by the look she was giving him, Harry assumed that this was supposed to be some kind of warning for him. He hadn’t expected all of the Weasleys to suddenly just start believing him if Ginny lost, but had hoped that they would at least come to some kind of understanding about why everything had gone the way it had. Perhaps the mind Healer would be able to shed more light on what was going through Ginny’s mind? A warm hand on the small of his back drew Harry’s attention and he turned to find Draco smirking at him.
“Granger,” Draco greeted Hermione.
“Malfoy.” Hermione nodded, looking like she was greeting an acquaintance from work. “We can talk more later.”
Harry bid her farewell and began to follow Draco to their seats just as the Wizengamot began filing back into the room. He couldn’t pay attention to them at that moment, however, not with Draco sitting next to him looking as though nothing had changed. He reached down to brush his fingers over Draco's and smiled when Draco's opened to allow him to slip his into the gaps.
“This court will come to order.”
Harry jumped, causing Draco to smirk. Refocussing his attention, he tried to pay as much attention to the Chief Warlock as possible.
“The last testimony of the day is to be by Healer Louise Jackson. She has been Mrs. Potter’s mind Healer while she has been in custody.”
She paused while a woman in lime green Healers robes walked to the stand. Her blonde hair reflected the torchlight in a way Harry suspected was magically enhanced somehow and her heels clicked on the tiled floor, causing him to wonder inanely whether her shoes were regulation for the hospital. Watching the floor as the woman walked, Harry thought he saw Ginny’s eyes narrow slightly when the Healer passed her. The chained chair that held Ginny had lowered back to its normal position, meaning she no longer drew Harry’s eyes to her automatically. Thinking this was a good thing, Harry turned back to the Chief Warlock as Healer Jackson took the stand.
“Barrister Richardson, you shall question Healer Jackson first, followed by Barrister Leung, then Barrister Edwards. I remind you all to please keep your questions to the point.”
Harry’s grip on Draco's fingers tightened unconsciously as Richardson stood and made his way onto the floor. Despite the fact that he hadn’t been expecting this testimony when the day had started, it was something that now held a lot of interest for him. This was someone who could officially confirm or deny whether Ginny actually had some form of mental illness, rather than just a lawyer stating it in the hope that he was right and would win the case. His stomach fluttered with nerves as he leant forward in his seat to stare intently at the Healer.
“Healer Jackson, you have been working personally with Mrs. Potter since she was brought into your facility, correct?”
“That is correct, yes.”
“In your professional opinion, is it possible that Mrs. Potter is suffering from a mental illness of some sort?”
Healer Jackson smiled and tossed her hair back over her shoulder, causing Harry to roll his eyes. “Blackouts like Mrs. Potter claims to be having are rather rare by themselves. Generally a loss of short-term memory – which is what a blackout is – is accompanied by a seizure, or caused by overconsumption of alcohol. Usually they are an indication that there is something much worse than just memory loss going on. I have not witnessed any symptoms in Mrs. Potter that usually indicate that there is an underlying cause of her memory loss.”
“You said blackouts are rare by themselves. Could you tell us the chances that Mrs. Potter is one of the unlucky few who appear to be having them on their own?”
“There hasn’t been any definitive studies done on those chances that I know of, sorry. It isn’t an area that really requires studying, because most blackout episodes have an underlying cause.”
“Thank you, Healer Jackson, I believe I have what I need.”
Richardson offered both the Healer as well as the Wizengamot a low bow before returning to his seat. Leaning back, he tilted his head towards Harry, who leant forward so he could hear what he was saying.
“Considering the events of the day, unless the Healer changes her story and causes a mistrial, I’d say I shall be congratulating the both of you on a win in a very short amount of time.”
Harry nodded stiffly before sitting back. Draco squeezed the fingers Harry had yet to let go of and offered up a small smile when Harry met his eyes.
“I understand that you’re nervous, but I will require those fingers to function at some point in the future.”
Harry’s eyes widened as he looked down to see he had practically mangled Draco's fingers. He offered up a sheepish smile as he released them. His eyes fell to Draco's lips as he smirked in response, but he shook his head and refocussed; this was something he had to pay attention to. Barrister Leung was just moving to stand in front of Healer Jackson as Harry returned his attention to the floor.
“I shall keep this brief, Healer Jackson. You have just stated Mrs. Potter is not suffering from any other symptoms that usually indicate an underlying mental illness which could be causing her memory loss. Is there any illness that would only manifest physically in periods of time loss?”
Healer Jackson pressed her lips together, seeming to consider Leung’s question seriously for a time before answering. “The human brain is a very complex organ, Barrister Leung. If Mrs. Potter is suffering from a mental illness that causes blackouts, it is one that I have not come across in my full eight years as a Healer. I have never once heard of an illness that only manifests itself physically in periods of memory loss.”
“Thank you, Healer.” Leung offered Healer Jackson a bow before turning to the Wizengamot. “I would like to thank the members of the Wizengamot as well.”
Harry watched as Leung offered a low bow to the Wizengamot stands, then returned to her seat. She had only asked one question, but it had received a response that helped all of the cases that had been brought against Ginny and for that, Harry was thankful. Taking a deep breath, he held it for a few seconds before letting it out lowly. He knew Edwards would most likely have a counterargument to the Healer’s declarations that Ginny was mentally healthy and, despite the nerves still running rampant through his stomach, he was quite interested to discover what it was. His hands clenched together when Edwards stood and walked to the centre of the floor.
“Amnesia is a serious mental illness, is that correct, Healer Jackson?”
“Yes, it is. Your memory affects the way you interact with the world around you, among other things.”
Edwards nodded slowly. “Could you describe to the court what happens when someone blacks out?”
“In effect, it is a short-circuit of the brain’s frontal lobe. The area responsible for short-term memory is the prefrontal cortex. If there is damage to that part of the brain, then a person could suffer from memory loss. It is also caused, as I stated earlier, by many different mental illnesses, or by overconsumption of alcohol. There have been many studies conducted on human brains over the centuries, but there is, unfortunately, no definitive definition of what Mrs. Potter is calling ‘blackouts’. Until someone can conclusively define ‘consciousness’, there is no way to conclusively define a state of unconsciousness.”
Edwards nodded, causing Harry to wonder whether that answer had confused him just as much as it had confused him. If it had, then he put up a good front, because he appeared to not be daunted at all when he continued.
“So what you are saying is that since there is no way to actually define a state of unconsciousness, it is entirely possible that Mrs. Potter is suffering from a form of blackouts that you have simply never seen before?”
“Fuck him, that’s good,” Harry growled and received a quelling look from over Richardson’s shoulder.
“I would never claim to have full knowledge of the human brain, Barrister Edwards. All I can do is give my professional opinion on Mrs. Potter’s mental state. From what I have witnessed in my sessions with her, as well as what her carers have told me, I see no reason for her to not be declared mentally fit.”
“That, Mr. Potter, is good,” Richardson muttered to Harry over his shoulder as the rest of the courtroom began to buzz with whispered conversations.
Unable to help himself, Harry slapped a hand down on Richardson’s shoulder and offered up a wide smile when he turned around properly. A tightness in Harry’s chest that he hadn’t noticed earlier seemed to be slowly loosening as the Chief Warlock began to call for order. The room quieted down, save for the occasional sniffle from the stands next to Harry, which he assumed was Molly.
“Please continue, Barrister Edwards.”
Edwards stood beside Ginny’s chair, his back facing Harry’s chair, appearing to stare down at her for a while before reacting. “Healer Jackson, is there someone watching Mrs. Potter 24 hours a day in your facility?”
“No, there isn’t.”
“Is she left alone for long stretches of time?”
“No longer than a few hours at a time.”
“Thank you, Healer Jackson.” Edwards turned to the Wizengamot and offered up a smile that made Harry’s insides squirm with revulsion. “And thank you, members of the Wizengamot.”
After offering a low bow that matched the ones the other Barristers had made to the Wizengamot, Edwards returned to his seat. Healer Jackson was dismissed with thanks from the Chef Warlock, who then stood up and called everyone’s attention to her.
“We shall now hear the closing statements from each of the Barristers present. Barrister Richardson, you may have the floor first, followed by Barrister Leung.”
Harry’s stomach flipped as Richardson stood and made his way to the floor. Watching Richardson as he was, it was difficult for Harry to miss the look Ginny shot the lawyer when he passed her: her eyes narrowed, her teeth showed and her posture stiffened for an incredibly short amount of time. It was brief, but the immediate effect of sending a shock of fear down Harry’s spine lasted much longer. He took a steadying breath as his skin prickled.
“Members of the Wizengamot, I have presented the facts of this case before you over the past three days. The charges of attempted fraud and attempted assault with intent to cause mental harm are, in my eyes, incredibly clear-cut. Mrs. Potter was caught with the offending potion in her hand by the arresting Aurors. Mr. Potter would have been dosed with said potion if the two Aurors on duty had not interrupted Mrs. Potter and restrained her. Mrs. Potter herself has admitted to committing grievous bodily harm with a dangerous weapon by her admission that Mr. Malfoy had ‘deserved it’ because he had stolen her husband. I strongly urge you today to take the statements of Mrs. Potter’s mind Healer very seriously, as she is the only one present who is qualified to make any form of statement on Mrs. Potter’s mental health. I do have one additional request to make, however. We believe that Mrs. Potter would be better served to be placed a prison with a mental health ward so she can continue to receive the help she requires. I would be incredibly grateful if you would take that request into consideration when passing your judgement today. Thank you.”
Richardson bowed low again, then returned to his seat with a small smile to Harry and Draco. Harry’s nerves jumped, but his eyes followed Leung as she stood to face the Wizengamot.
“Members of the Wizengamot, Minister, Chief Warlock, I believe that the charges brought against Mrs. Ginevra Potter have been proven true through a number of means over the past few days. The fact that she is claiming that the only time periods she is missing are the ones that have brought her here is suspicious, but that is nothing to her declaration that she remembers taking Auror Gould’s wand. It is obvious through her own testimony that she resisted arrest and that she kicked and lashed out when Aurors Gould and Reynolds attempted to restrain her. Her own mind Healer has declared that she is mentally fit. The evidence that has been presented over the past three days is more than sufficient to convict Mrs. Potter of the charges brought against her.” She paused and glanced briefly up towards where Richardson sat. “I would also like to recommend Mrs. Potter be placed in a prison with a mental health facility. She is in obvious need of help that no regular prison can give her. Thank you all.”
Harry leant forward far enough so he could whisper to Richardson without running the risk of being overheard. “Did you request that, or did the Auror Department?”
“It wasn’t me, Mr. Potter. I have no influence on what any other lawyer chooses to request as punishment for a defendant.”
Surprise rippled through Harry as he leant back again. That was something else that no one had mentioned to him. He was discovering rather quickly that being left out of the loop when it came to decisions that would affect the way he lived his life was just as annoying now as it had been when he was a teenager. He didn’t get long to examine the feeling, though, before Edwards was striding out into the middle of the floor. He stopped beside Ginny’s chair and placed a hand softly on her shoulder.
“Ginevra Molly Potter has been through a lot over these past few months; more than most people could stand. From discovering her husband’s hidden sexuality, to being defamed in the newspapers, to being treated like a common criminal by the Auror Corps. It has all placed a heavy strain on her mental state, causing her to have periods of blackout. As Healer Jackson herself stated, the human brain is a complex thing and we will probably never know all of its secrets. There is no definitive proof that Mrs. Potter is not having blackout episodes, as no one person can say for certain exactly what is going on in another person’s mind. Today I ask the Wizengamot to take pity on a woman who has been treated incredibly poorly by the man who was supposed to love and care for her. I ask that you drop all charges and allow Mrs. Potter to seek the help she needs in the privacy of her own home. Thank you all for taking the time to listen to me today.”
Harry’s heart began to race again as Edwards appeared to give Ginny’s shoulder a tight squeeze before returning to his seat. He was expecting the room to break into conversation again, but it was oddly quiet as the Chief Warlock stood to address them again.
“The Wizengamot shall now confer and give our verdict. We thank you for your patience and ask that conversation be kept to the minimum.”
Huffing out a breath as what felt like panic began to cloud his mind, Harry turned to Draco. “They’re deciding now? Right now?”
One of Draco's hands was clenched tightly in his lap, his breathing was obviously controlled and his jaw clenched. “Apparently so.”
“Each member of the Wizengamot will cast a spell that holds their decision. Those spells will gather and form the final verdict for the case. The Chief Warlock’s own opinion doesn’t sway the verdict at all except for being another vote towards one side of the argument or other.” Harry’s eyes flicked down to stare at Richardson, who had turned to face the two of them. “I believe we have every reason to expect a favourable decision, Mr. Potter.”
Richardson had managed to distract Harry for a few seconds, but his panic apparently wouldn’t be repressed: his hands shook, his skin was clamming up and the muscles in his thighs were twitching with the adrenalin that was racing through him. This one decision would affect the entirety of the rest of his life in either a very good or a very bad way and there was apparently no way to calm himself down. It looked to him like Draco was as worried about it as he was, but there really wasn’t anything Harry could do to help him at that moment. He jumped violently when the Chief Warlock stood again.
“The Wizengamot has reached our decision. Mrs. Potter, if you would stand, please.”
The chained chair clanked and began to move, causing Harry to jump again. His stomach churned when Edwards move to stand beside Ginny’s chair and he hoped desperately that he wouldn’t vomit. Swallowing rapidly, he trained his eyes on the Chief Warlock and held his breath.
“Ginevra Molly Potter, there were six charges brought against you today. For the charge of attempted fraud, you have been found guilty. For the charge of attempted assault with intent to cause mental harm, you have been found guilty. For the charge of grievous bodily harm with a dangerous weapon, you have been found guilty. For the charge of resisting arrest, you have been found guilty. For the charge of attempted assault on an Auror, you have been found guilty. Finally, for the charge of taking an Auror’s wand, you have been found guilty. Taking into account your obvious need for help with your mental health, the Wizengamot recommends a maximum of sixty five years in the Leontes Ward of the Horizon Women’s Prison in London.”
Harry was absolutely certain that she continued, but a loud buzzing filled his ears in that second, blocking out everything around him. His breath hissed out of him as the panic that had been filling him seemed to peak, then fizzle slowly out. The churning of his stomach seemed to be trying valiantly to change to excitement, but all Harry was feeling beneath the numbness beginning to fill him was nauseous. He became vaguely aware of a louder buzzing sound, but he couldn’t focus enough to discover exactly what it was. The buzzing cleared, however, when two hands were placed on either side of his face and he was drawn into a harsh kiss.
Draco's hands were shaking just as much as Harry’s and he reached up automatically to cover them with his own. Guilty; they had won the case. A few bright lights seemed to spark before Harry’s eyes as the realisation sunk in. Pulling away from the kiss, Harry ran his thumb over Draco's bottom lip, causing a wide smile to break on Draco's face.
“We won?”
Harry grinned. “We did.”
This was an outcome that Harry had hardly dared to allow himself to hope for: Ginny wouldn’t be able to interfere with their lives in any way in the future. He knew that there were people waiting to speak with him. He also knew that he would have to deal with the confusing mix of emotions churning through his stomach. The Weasley family were a whole other question he would also have to discover an answer to. It could all wait, however, as all that he could seem to care about at that moment was Draco in front of him. They had won. He was free.
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