You Won't Ever Get Too Far

I don't know how or why I let him talk me into it. Somehow, he had managed to get me to 'The Burrow'. I'd seen a picture of the house before, in the Daily Prophet, but up close, it was... interesting. Usually, I would've been coming up with insults, but it wasn't so bad. After what I'm about to pull at the hearing, I might just have to get used to this. If I'm disowned... Then at least I;d have something in common with the Weasleys. No money.

I stayed behind Harry while he knocked on the door.

Mrs. Weasley answered, pulling Harry into a small hug and kissing him on the cheek.

"I've brought Draco with me, if that's alright..." Harry said.

"Well, of course," she smiled a little. Then leaned forward to say something in a low voice that I couldn't hear.

She lead us inside. I'd never met Molly Weasley before, but in person she was very warm and just felt motherly. I Suppose having seven children would do that to you. She even gave me a small smile.

"She's telling everyone I'm here with you," Harry said quietly.

"More like warning everyone," I muttered.

Harry grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. Ron entered the room, looking a bit unhappy. "Hello, Harry," he said, "Draco..."

I nodded.

"Sorry to...bother you," Harry said. "Is Hermi--"

"Harry!" Hermione Granger's voice exclaimed. She pulled Harry into a hug.

"Hi, Hermione," he said, "I was wondering if you could...do me, well...do us a favor."

She glanced at me, "Depends."

"Well, all it is, is the spell you used to expand bag space," Harry said.

"What for?" Weasley interjected, before Granger could say anything.

"Well, it's sort of a long story--"

"Because," I cut in, "my father is an idiot--"

"I could've told you that..." Weasley muttered.

"After I've finished with this trial, I'm finished dealing with him. I need a single bag to carry with me, so I don't have to go back to Malfoy Manor."

"That sounds like a cowardly way out," Weasley said.

"Ron..." Harry began.

"No," I said, "he's right, but..."

"I'll help you," Granger said.

"You will?" I asked, a little shocked.

"Sure," Granger said, smiling a little.

"Thanks you..." I said quietly.

"This really, really means a lot to me Hermione," Harry said. "Thank you."

"As long as you're happy," she smiled.

Standing in the doorway, I noticed Ginny Weasley. She didn't look upset or anything, just as if she were a lion stalking her prey. I looked back down at my feet.

"Wait, but isn't the trial in the morning?" Ron asked.

"Erm, yeah," Harry replied.

"It'll be fine," I said out loud, sort of trying to convince myself.

"But what happens if..." Ron said.

"Depends on what kind of witness you're going to have," Ginny said. "But as far as the judge and jury are concerned, you killed Dumbledore unless you can prove otherwise. It's not looking good."

"Well, I didn't..." I said.

"But you do have the Dark Mark, don't you?" Ginny asked.

I shifted uncomfortable. "That doesn't--"

"He does though, doesn't he, Harry?" Ginny asked.

Ron was trying not to laugh. Hermione was looking from Ginny, to Harry, to me.

"What makes you think I--"

"Well, don't be stupid," Ginny said. "You've seen it surely."

No one said anything.

"Let's see your arm then," Ginny said.

I held my left wrist tightly. "It's there, alright."

"Then, you really have no chance of getting through this," Ginny said.

"What's your problem?" Harry said.

"I don't know," Ginny said coldly. " Maybe I don't like having a Death Eater in my house. One of his kind killed my brother, in case you'd forgotten."

"Ginny..." Harry said. "Can we talk?"

She nodded and turned. Harry followed her.

I stood there with my mouth opened. Ron looked very upset suddenly and Granger was holding onto his arm.

"Um, let's...let's get that bag squared away," Granger said.

"Sure," I muttered.

I sat silently while she did a charm on my bag. Ron wouldn't stand being in the room anymore, because he left abruptly.

"I'm really sorry about all of this," Granger said.

"It's not your fault," I said quietly.

"I guess not," she handed the bag to me. "There you go."

"Thanks," I said.

"It's just hard for them," she said. "After everything we all went through, forgiveness is difficult."

I nodded. "I used to be...I don't know, a little git."

She smiled.

"I've grown up and...it's not glorious, the Dark Arts. It's scary, I'm sure you know," I sighed. "I just wish there was something I could do to fix this. I know...Ginny's not going to like me very much...but--"

"She'll come around," Granger said. "She's just worried about Harry, I think."

"I would never do anything to hurt him," I said.

She smiled.

"Malfoy, my sister wants to talk to you," Ron said from the doorway.

I sighed and stood up. I followed him through a narrow hall into the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley was standing with Harry and Ginny.

Mrs. Weasley turned and left the room. Harry took both of my hands, then kissed my cheek.

"Listen, Malfoy," Ginny swallowed, "this is hard for me. I've loved Harry for as long as I've known him. I swear, if you hurt him..."

"I won't," I said.

"I'm going to trust you with him," she smiled a little. "Take good care."

"Thanks," I said.

That night, I stuffed all my clothes into my bag. I was still thinking about what Ginny had said about me having the Dark Mark. I wondered if that was true. I didn't have a witness...

I looked around my room to see if there was anything else at all. I stuffed one Slytherin tie into my bag, some rolls of parchment, a pillow and my broomstick. That ought to be everything.

I got into bed and stared at a family portrait on my bedside table. I was four. My father looked annoyed. My mother was smiling. I was crying. Before the night was over, I stuffed it in my bag too.

The morning that followed, I woke earlier than I had to. When the time came, I left my room without a second glance back.

My mother, father, and I traveled by Floo Powder to the Ministry. At eleven o'clock we entered the court room, at the very bottom of the left, down more stairs to courtroom ten.

"You'll be fine," my mother said softly and kissed me on the cheek.

"Be careful," my father said in a harsh tone.

I crossed the floor and sat in the chair. The judge was Kingsley Shacklebolt, the minster himself. The panel looked highly disgusted with me.

"Hearing for the tenth of December," Shacklebolt said, "in offences committed having associated himself with Death Eaters, branding his arm with the Dark Lord's Dark Mark, attempted murder, and having succeeded in one by Draco Lucius Malfoy.

Interrogators: Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minster of Magic; Natalia Epiphany Prewett, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Witness for the Defense, Harry James Potter."

I glanced to my left to see Harry standing. He looked down a gave me a small smile.

"Mr. Malfoy, is it an accurate statement to say that you have been branded with the Dark mark?" Shacklebolt questioned.

"Yes," I replied.

"But it is also true that your father was a Death Eater," Harry said, "whom Lord Voldemort was not happy with because he landed himself in Azkaban, so therefor, to further humiliate your family, forced you to be branded?"

"Yes," I said.

"Objection!" my father called.

"Mr. Malfoy, Sr., I suggest you take your seat," Shacklebolt said. "Otherwise, we'll have the Dementors come and take you now."

I shuddered and didn't dare turn to face my father.

"Now, back to the matter at hand," Shacklebolt said. "How were you forced to be branded."

"The Dark Lord came, along with my aunt Bellatrix Lestrange, to set me up with a task," I swallowed hard. "He didn't trust me to do it without branding me. He was going to kill me and my mother and father. I was scared, so I just agreed."

"What task was this?" Prewette asked, eyeing me and I saw her look towards my father too.

"To...kill Albus Dumbledore," I said.

Many of the jury looked at one another.

"Did you...succeed?" Shacklebolt asked.

"No, sir," I replied.

"And the proof?" Shacklebolt said.

"I saw it," Harry said. "And if you would prefer proof, I have the memories of Severus Snape. You see, Snape made an unbreakable vow with Draco's mother, that if Draco was to be unsuccessful, he would be the one to kill Dumbledore. It's all right here." Harry held up a small vial full of silvery liquid.

"The pensieve, Pelf," Shacklebolt said.

The only tension in the room was between my father and I. Everyone else seemed to believe it because it was coming from Harry Potter.

"The memories."

Harry approached the podium, placed the memories, and I began hoping. Harry stood behind me and whispered, "It'll be alright."

When Shacklebolt resurfaced, he said, "Well, Mr. Malfoy, it seems you're no murderer."