All Grown Up



The gavel banged at precisely eleven o’clock.



“The Wizengamot will now come to order,� wheezed the rather feeble looking wizard in official robes.



I quickly glanced through my papers and took a quick gulp of coffee from my favorite blue mug. Today was going to be the day that would either make or break the case. For Lucius Malfoy’s defence, I was only calling one witness. For one of the most feared and hated Death Eaters, I was only going to call one person to speak in his defence. Most assumed that it would prove his guilt, but I thought quite the opposite; the witness could win the case. It was a drastic move that Lucius would have frowned upon, but I was in charge of his trial, not him. Besides, I hadn’t told him anything. He was one of the most disagreeable people that I had ever worked with and it suited me just fine to run the case as I pleased.



Shortly after assuming the mantel of Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt had ordered that all Death Eaters would stand a fair trial instead of being imprisoned immediately. It was a generous move, one that I certainly wouldn’t have done due to my dislike for all things related to Dark Magic, but it was the mark of a new regime. It was fair, and I respected that.



Despite the fact that I had been assigned Lucius Malfoy, I was determined to represent him fairly and not allow his status as a Death Eater to cloud my judgment. That was my nature – everyone deserved a chance, especially someone who at least had a plausible story.



I knew that I was minimizing the already small chance that Lucius had for acquittal by only calling one witness. However, I would not let that stand in my way. I was used to fighting seemingly impossible odds. You see, I was the only high-ranking female attorney in the Wizarding world.



Of course, there’re plenty of female attorneys, don’t get me wrong. But most of them never quite get past drafting contracts for the Goblin Liaison Office. Most of those girls were Ravenclaws and, as they’re House implies, they’re usually brilliant at whatever they do. By contrast, I was a Hufflepuff. I was perhaps more dedicated than the Ravenclaw girls - I worked harder for my position.



And I had to work really hard. The macho male world of the trial attorneys was rather reluctant to admit a lady, especially one like myself. With my light blue eyes and rather long sandy hair, I was much too feminine to be “one of the boys�. However, I started winning cases. Lots of cases. Cases against the boys. And they began to show some respect.



They’d bring me coffee in the morning, instead of allowing me to fend for myself and they invited me along to the staff parties and the like. But I hadn’t blended in fully, so to speak. My colleagues still liked to give me the short end of the stick. That’s how I ended up with the Lucius Malfoy case. I was determined not only to win the case for Lucius, but to show “the boys� that I was perfectly capable of getting a dangerous Death Eater out of prison.

~*~*~



Lucius bent his head close to mine and muttered with only a trace of usual sneer, “My case had better be in perfect order, Ms. Wade. I won’t be imprisoned simply because some girl couldn’t work the legal system.�



I smiled a tight smile; it was so obvious that he was nervous. The prosecution, as well as myself, had questioned him yesterday. The prosecution had made it such a long and drawn-out affair that my sole witness had been forced to today. I didn’t mind pulling an all-nighter to finish the case, but apparently the Wizengamot did. “Your defence is perfectly arranged, Mr. Malfoy. You shouldn’t be worried.�



“Very well then, Ms. Wade. May I ask, whom did you summon to be a witness in my defence?�



I hesitated. I had not intended to share the name of the witness with Malfoy. In fact, I hadn’t told him anything about who would be speaking in his defence other than the fact that it was taken care of.



Anger briefly flashed across his face before it settled into the polite position that it had been before. “I do not like surprises, Ms. Wade. Especially when my future and that of my family lies in the balance.� His breath was hot in my ear and I felt his fingers on my wrist. “Tell me!� he demanded in a harsh whisper, “Who have you called to speak in my defence?�



I stole a glance at the head of the Wizengamot, who was looking at me expectantly. Several of my fellow lawyers were seated in the gallery, and they too were looking at me in anticipation of what I might do. I glanced behind the elderly wizard’s shoulder and saw the jet black hair of the witness. I stood up, carefully disengaging my wrist from Lucius’ grasp. A smile blossomed across my face and I said rather smugly, “I would like to call Harry James Potter as a witness for the defence.�



The silence in the room was deafening after my announcement. It was, in fact, only broken by two things: the sound of Harry’s footsteps as he crossed to where I was sitting and Lucius’ gasp of outrage.



“How dare you,� he hissed. “I wanted to be found innocent, not guilty, you fool! Potter has it in for me and my family. There is no conceivable way that he will testify on my behalf.�



“He has already said that he would,� I replied calmly, as the leader of the Wizangamot administered the oath to the young man with glasses.



“I doubt it. Lies!� he spat bitterly beneath his breath.



Something within me snapped. I looked Lucius Malfoy square in the face and hissed, “He has forgiven you for all of your deeds. He’s trying to help you. I’m trying to help you, damn it!� I shot Lucius a glare that Professor McGonagall would have been proud of. “He’s the same age as your son, but he’s less of a child than you are. Be more like Potter, Mr. Malfoy. Grow up!� I angrily tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.



He sat there, chest heaving, for what felt like an eternity. I could feel the anger radiating from him and for a moment I was scared. I was, after all, sitting next to one of the most notorious war criminals and I had just pissed him off. Despite the fact that I was proving his innocence, he was a dangerous wizard who knew Dark Magic, as the prosecution had so kindly pointed out twenty-two times yesterday.



Fortunately for me, Lucius slumped backwards in his uncomfortable wooden chair and cradled his forehead in his hands. For a moment, I could have sworn I saw him pull something small and flat out of his pocket and place it on his lap. But the movement was so quick, I wasn’t sure. I wrenched my gaze away from him and towards Harry, whom I was supposed to be questioning.



I rose and noticed that my fingers were shaking. Taking a deep and calming breath, I turned towards Harry and asked, “Mr. Potter, do you recognize the man sitting behind me?�



“Of course. That’s Lucius Malfoy.� I noticed that Harry’s eyes were startlingly green behind his glasses; I had thought that to be just a myth.



Continuing my line of questioning, I enquired, “And did you see Mr. Malfoy at what has been termed The Battle of Hogwarts?�



“Yes, I did see him there.� Harry began to examine his hands intently.



“Did you actually see him fighting, Mr. Potter?�



“No, I did not.�



A wave of shock emanated throughout the courtroom. The most famous war criminal hadn’t actually fought in the Battle of Hogwarts! I snuck a glance at how Lucius was handling this revelation. He still had his head in his hands. I looked away before I could feel pity for him.



“Now, Mr. Potter. If you did not see Mr. Malfoy fighting, what did you see him doing?� I watched Harry closely. If he was to win my case, he would have to give exactly the answer that I was looking for. Lucius had told the jury roughly the same thing when I had questioned him, but they had been too absorbed with the fact that he had willingly given his wand to Voldemort.



Harry was spot on with his answer. “I…I saw…� Harry had to pause to collect himself. He swallowed and then went on, “I saw Mr. Malfoy and Mrs. Malfoy running through the fighting. They didn’t do anything during the battle.�



“Mr. Potter,� I said gently. “Why was my client running?�



Harry seemed to find his left thumb to be of utmost fascination. “He was looking to see if his son was unharmed.� Looking up from his fingers, Harry said in a tone that bordered on defiant, “I could see what Voldemort was doing and I know that Lucius wasn’t doing anything of his own free will. I know that if he and…� Harry paused before saying the name, “…Draco had been together and free of supervision, I know that they would have left.� I could no longer see Harry’s vividly colored eyes as they were focused on his fingers once more.



I kept my face calm, but inside I was leaping for joy. Harry was saying exactly what I needed him to say and his emotions were just what the jury would need to be convinced. I had one last question for him, though. So I asked it. “Mr. Potter, you claimed that you knew Mr. Malfoy would have left the battle if his family was with him, why do you say this?�



Harry looked directly at Lucius Malfoy, who did not meet his gaze. Lucius’ gaze was once again focused on his lap. “Because I know that whatever he did to serve Voldemort was done only to protect his family. While I do not respect what he did, I respect why he did it. Family…� His voice broke and it sounded as if he was holding back a considerable quantity of tears. He tried again, “Family is the most important thing that anyone could ever have.�



Harry’s voice trailed off and he went back to examining his fingers. He was blinking rapidly to hold back his tears. I was able hear the sound of many aged wizards trumpeting their noses and when I looked up, I saw that old Griselda Marchbanks was wiping tears off of her wrinkled cheeks.



When I turned to look at Lucius Malfoy, I nearly fell over from shock. His shoulders were hunched and his eyes were moist. I could clearly see the tracks that the tears had made when they had fallen down his cheeks.



Wrenching my gaze away, I gave Harry a smile and a thumbs up sign. He returned the gesture and smiled sadly back with his gaze lingering on Lucius before nodding and walking through the door.



~*~*~



The prosecution didn’t even bother to question Harry very much (although they took a definite shot at it); they knew that the Wizengamot was going to let Lucius Malfoy walk out as a free man. Harry’s testimony had been that convincing. I sat back in my equally uncomfortable chair and waited for the Wizengamot official to read the verdict. I was positive that they would find him innocent and I smiled. I picked up my now very cold coffee and took another sip. Anticipated victory made it taste quite a bit better than it actually was.



I sidled a glance in Malfoy’s direction – I could actually see his face now. An interesting combination of emotions was painted on his pale aristocratic face. There was definitely longing to be out of the courtroom, a touch of resentment left over from the announcement of his witness, and several others that I couldn’t quite identify.



He was holding something in his long and thin fingers. Pianist fingers, my Muggle side whispered. It was small, thin, and flat and it had been resting on his lap for the trial. I had seen him looking at something. My inner curiosity – some claim that I’m nosy - was too great; I leaned sideways slightly to get a peek at what he was holding.



It was a photograph of his wife and son. It had been taken outside of Malfoy Manor (the sharply pruned hedges were unmistakable) and it appeared to be several years old. Or, at least, Draco didn’t seem to be as tall and he looked much happier. Narcissa’s hand was resting fondly on Draco’s shoulder and they both wore rather wistful smiles.



I sat back in my chair feeling an enormous amount of pity for my client. The feeling was only interrupted by the sound of a parchment unrolling and an elderly throat being cleared – the Wizengamot had reached its verdict.



As I had expected, the Wizengamot’s decision was a quick one; it only took them an hour. In fact, it was the fastest in all of the Death Eater trials that had been held. Despite all of the evidence against Lucius Malfoy, he was acquitted of all charges. I had done my job properly. My client had just been proved innocent against what had appeared to be insurmountable odds. I felt rather pleased with myself – I knew that every word of Harry’s statement was true. Lucius had done everything to protect his family and I was glad that he was free. And I had proved myself capable in front of my fellow lawyers yet again.



I metaphorically patted myself on the back for a job well done while I gathered my paperwork. I noticed several of my fellow attorneys were approaching my seat.



“Anthea! You pulled a shocker, there. Would you like to join us for coffee tomorrow?� A big beefy man peered down at me with merry brown eyes and a rather pleasant grin. I nodded emphatically and smiled hugely up at him.



A rather short reedy looking man approached me next. “I didn’t think Lucius was going to get off at all. Not on those charges! And only one witness. Nice job, Anthea.� He offered me his hand.



My grin stretched my face as I took his hand and replied, “Thanks! That means a lot coming from you.� He chuckled and went to join his buddies who were standing, waiting for him in the corner.



I watched them for a moment before turning around to have my final word with Lucius about the good fortune that had befallen him, but he was no longer there. Shrugging, I began to collect my paperwork. I could always talk to him later; it wasn’t as if I didn’t know where he lived. Besides, I was on the top of the world, I didn’t want Lucius’ cynical attitude to drag me down so quickly.



I picked up my bag, papers, and ever important coffee cup and exited the courtroom. I blinked at the brightness of the hallway; all of the shades had been drawn back and it was filled with sunlight. As I shut the door, I brushed several strands of sandy hair out of my eyes and looked down the hallway.



What I saw made me nearly drop my papers in astonishment; Lucius Malfoy was shaking the hand of none other than Harry Potter. Lucius wasn’t even wearing a distasteful look. I could see Harry’s mouth moving and I knew that he was probably telling Lucius what he had actually seen at the Battle – it was obvious that it was of interest to Lucius, as his head was tipped slightly to the side and his eyes were fixed intently upon the young man. Suddenly, they both nodded at each other and began to walk – Harry towards the door and Lucius towards me.



I wasn’t quite sure how to react. Was Lucius still angry at me? Was he about to pat me on the head for a job well done? Somehow I couldn’t picture what this Mr. Malfoy would do. I mean, I had seen him talking civilly with Harry Potter and, as my Muggle upbringing reminded me, pigs might be flying. I took an involuntary glance out of the window, but the sky was free of flying farm animals. Taking my gaze away from the view, I realized that Mr. Malfoy was standing in front of me.



Silently, he held out his hand. I shifted my paperwork and extended my own. Wordlessly still, he shook it, nodded, and began to walk towards the same door that Harry Potter had just exited



I watched him leave and felt tears spring to my eyes. He had just treated two people in a courteous manner. And these two people, Harry and myself, had always been subject to his extraordinarily rude behavior. A small smile appeared on my face – Mr. Malfoy was all grown up.