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A Prince in Lion's Clothing	By : Sablesilverrain Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Tom Views: 36570 -:- Recommendations : 7 -:- Currently Reading : 9
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or anything you recognise here. I make no money off of this, and am writing it purely for entertainment. Don't take it too seriously.

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“The Prosecution would like to call Hermione Granger to the stand.” Marcus called next.

Hermione went down and sat in the witness seat.

“Miss Granger, do you consent to the use of Veritaserum?” Marcus asked.

“Yes, I do.” Hermione answered.

The Auror came up and administered three drops, then asked, “What is your name and blood status?”

“Hermione Jean Granger, Muggleborn.” Hermione answered.

The Auror nodded. “It is working.” He sat back down.

Marcus came forward. “Miss Granger, you and Harry have been friends since your first year, correct?”

“Yes.”

“And how did you become friends?” He asked.

Hermione smiled. Time to show William Whittaker just what kind of person Harry was. “Harry and Ronald Weasley saved my life from a mountain troll.” She answered.

“Whose idea was it to go after you and save your life?” Marcus asked.

“Harry’s.”

Marcus smiled. “So Harry would save anyone’s life if they were in danger, correct?”

“Yes, he will save anyone he can.” She answered.

“And have you ever fought with him?”

Hermione flushed. “I was at odds with him at the beginning of this school year for a time, yes. I sided with Ron when Harry’s name came out of the Goblet of Fire and Ron turned on him.”

Marcus nodded. “And why did you side with Ronald over your friend?”

“Well, Ron was my friend, too, and he has a very commanding personality. Plus, I liked him back then. Before I knew how shallow and petty he really was.” She answered.

“So it was a crush that led you to turn on Harry temporarily?” Marcus asked.

Hermione flushed. “Yes, Sir, it was.”

“And when he took you both back as friends, were there any conditions set?”

Hermione nodded. “Yes. He said that if we turned on him again, to be sure that was what we wanted, because there would be no second chances. He said he didn’t need fair-weather friends.”

“Was it really fair of him to call you both such a thing?” Marcus asked. Hermione and he had discussed him playing devil’s advocate for this one question.

“I believe it was, Sir. We betrayed him for a silly reason, and it was unfair of us.” She told him.

Marcus nodded. “Alright. When he went under the effects of the potion, how did he act toward you, and how did you react?”

“He became cold and distant, almost immediately, and I was instantly suspicious, but I believed it was a prank, since Ronald had pranked him several time already this year.” She answered. “When it didn’t end after twenty-four hours, I and three of his other friends when to Professor Snape to gain his assistance in getting the Harry we knew and cared for back. We knew something was very wrong. Harry is intensely loyal to those he cares about, and our bonds with him are stronger than most friendships because of it.”

Marcus hummed. “And when Harry was back to his senses, what happened?”

“He apologised immediately for what he had done, the things he had said to hurt us, and we forgave him. He is not the type to intentionally hurt anyone that did not hurt him worse first.” Hermione said.

“Regarding the marriage contract, do you believe Harry would willingly sign such a thing?” Marcus asked.

Hermione shook her head adamantly. “No, Sir! He and Thomas Harding are very serious, and I believe they will eventually marry!” She said.

Marcus smiled. “Thank you. No further questions.” He said.

William Whittaker came forward. “Miss Granger, why did Harry turn on Ronald and Ginerva Weasley when it was so out of character for him to do such a thing?” He asked.

Hermione immediately bristled. “Because they turned on him first. Ronald stopped being his friend when Harry told us his father was Severus Snape and Ginny sided with Ron over Harry, so Harry cut his ties with her, as well. He only wants loyal friends that are going to return the loyalty he so willingly gives.”

“Why did you not ‘turn on him’ with Ronald and Ginevra this time around, if Ronald has such a commanding personality?” William asked.

Hermione huffed. “Because I took his words about not needing fair-weather friends seriously, plus I understood that having a father that was a Dark Wizard who had atoned for his mistakes didn’t change who Harry was at the core. He is still a wonderful person. Also, I was over my crush the instant Ron turned on Harry. He stopped being attractive when I saw how petty he was.” She said firmly.

William seemed to regret that line of questioning. “No further questions.” He said.

Fudge nodded. “Hermione Granger, you may leave the stand. Thank you.”

Hermione stepped down and rejoined the others.

Marcus cleared his throat. “The prosecution would like to call Neville Longbottom, Lord Longbottom to the stand.” He said.

Neville made his way to the seat and sat.

“Lord Longbottom, do you consent to the use of Veritaserum?”

Neville nodded. “Yes.” He said.

The Auror came over and administered the potion, than asked, “What is your name and titles?”

“Neville Frank Longbottom, Lord Longbottom.” Neville answered.

“It’s working.” The Auror confirmed before sitting back down.

Marcus stepped forward. “Lord Longbottom, how long have you and Harry been friends, and how long have you been as close as you are now?” He asked.

Neville licked his lips nervously. “We’ve known each other since first year, and we’ve been friendly, but we only really became close this year, when Ron and Hermione stopped being his close friends. He needed a friend, and I was willing to be there for him. He surprised me by staying my friend when he got his old friends back. He’s always been loyal and kind.” He answered.

Marcus hummed. “So you’ve known him for four years, and been close for seven months, is that correct?”

Neville nodded. “Yes, Sir.” He answered.

“Do you feel you know him well in spite of that?” Marcus asked.

Neville smiled and nodded. “He has shared secrets with me recently that he’s only shared with a few others.”

“I see. Well, have you ever known him to betray a friend?” Marcus asked.

“Not unless the friend betrayed him in some way first.” Neville stated.

“How did you find out he was under the Imperius potion?” Marcus asked.

“He was rude to me, and snapped at me first thing in the morning, which is very unlike him. He is usually a very happy person in the mornings. And he takes great care to be nice to me, because he knows that I react badly to harsh words and manners.” Neville admitted.

Marcus nodded and didn’t press further. “Alright. When you and Miss Granger went to get help from Professor Snape, what exactly did you think was going on?”

“I had no idea, other than it was some cruel prank that was lasting longer than most pranks do. We had no idea just how bad it really was.” Neville told him. “Only Professor Snape had any suspicions of what exactly was wrong.”

“Would Harry Prince have signed the marriage contract to Ginny Weasley in his right mind, do you think?”

Neville snorted. “Pardon my French, but hell no.” He answered. “He is head over heels in love with Lord Gryffindor, Sir. I believe they are Fated.”

Marcus nodded. “No further questions.” He said.

William stepped forward. “Lord Longbottom, why are you and Harry so close when you have only been close friends for so short a time?”

Neville smiled. “Harry is a good judge of character. He also makes friends easily and is steadfast once he does, unless they betray him first.”

“If he is such a good judge of character, doesn’t that mean that Ronald and Ginny are good people, since they were also his friends for so long?”

Neville shrugged. “They might be good people, but the fact remains that no matter what kind of people they are, they have recently done some horrid things, and they should not get away with them.”

William pressed his lips together tightly. “No further questions.” He said.

“Thank you, Lord Longbottom.” Fudge said. “You may leave the stand.”

Neville went back and sat in his seat.

“The Prosecution would like to call Draco Malfoy, Heir Malfoy to the stand.” Marcus called out.

Draco went down and took the seat.

“Do you consent to Veritaserum?” Marcus asked.

Draco sighed. “Yes.” He said wearily.

The Auror administered the potion and asked, “What is your name and titles?”

“Draco Malfoy, Heir Malfoy.” Was the answer.

“It is working.” The Auror announced.

“Heir Malfoy, how long have you known Harry Prince?”

Draco smirked. “Oh, Harry and I have known each other for four years now.”

“What was your relationship previous to this year?” Marcus asked.

“Very antagonistic. I daresay I was his greatest rival, and took great pleasure in needling him and getting explosive reactions.” Draco said with relish.

Marcus chuckled. “And what changed that relationship?”

“Harry began to respond to me in a positive way, and I realised I wanted to be his friend more than his enemy. We grew somewhat close over the past five months.” He said.

Marcus nodded. “And how did he react to you while under the potion?”

Draco hummed. “The exact same way Ronald and Ginny Weasley still do, with distrust. That’s how I knew something was wrong. Harry would not turn on what we have been building like that. He is growing close to me, and seems very happy to be doing so.”

Marcus nodded. “Do you think he would willingly sign that contract to Ginny Weasley?”

Draco shook his head. “No, Sir. He has talked to me about Thomas Harding, and they seem to be very close. I have met the man through my father, and he also seems very enamoured of Harry. They are well-suited, and very much in love.”

Marcus nodded in satisfaction. “Thank you. No further questions.” He said.

William approached Draco. “Heir Malfoy, you are a Dark Wizard, correct?”

Draco frowned. “Yes.”

“Why is Harry your friend if he is a Light Wizard?”

Draco scoffed. “Wizards can be friends with whomever they please, Light and Dark has no bearing on that. Plus, Dark Wizard does not equal evil. Also, Harry might be my friend for a number of reasons. He may feel a kinship with me, since as Severus Prince’s son, his core is Dark, too, or at least grey. He might be my friend because he wants to make his father happy, and Severus is my Godfather. He might be my friend simply because I have never played him for a fool and treat him in accordance with how I expect him to treat me.” He answered.

William jumped on that. Again. “You say his core is Dark?”

“He’s a Prince.” Draco stressed. “It can’t be anything other than Dark or grey, no matter how Light his mother was. He comes from a long line of Dark Wizards. That does not make him evil, or even mean he casts Dark magic. It is a simple core alignment, nothing else.”

William nodded, seeming satisfied with that. “No further questions.” He said.

Fudge nodded. “Heir Malfoy, you may leave the stand. We will take an hour recess for lunch.” He announced.

Harry was glad for the chance to get up and stretch his legs.

“Come, let’s go get something to eat.” Severus said, leading them to the Ministry cafeteria. “That could have gone better. I have a feeling we will be holding these trials on two different days.”

Harry nodded. “It wouldn’t surprise me.” He turned to Draco. “Well, the other side loved your testimony.”

Draco shrugged. “It was true. Dark does not mean evil. Don’t read too much into it, Lord Selwyn.”

Harry stuck his tongue out at Draco. “You’re just jealous.” He said.

Draco rolled his eyes. “Sure I am. Anyway, you two are probably up next.” He said to Fred and George.

They sighed. “Probably.” George said.

“Not looking forward to it.” Fred added.

“We’ll probably get kicked out.” They said together.

Draco shrugged. “And then you’ll come live with us; it’s not the end of the world.” He said lightly. “Far from it.”
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A Prince in Lion's Clothing