Harry stared down at the Malfoys as they came into the box. They looked awful. They were all dressed in drab gray: Narcissa in a loose dress, and the men in plain shirts and worn pants. All of Lucius's hair had been hacked off, and he looked like a starved scarecrow as he stood in the box, looking down at the floor. Narcissa's hair was back in a braid, but her face looked pale and tortured with ugly bruises standing on her formerly-flawless skin. She kept beside Draco, her long fingers clutching at his shoulder protectively.

Draco's hair hung limply, dirty and unkempt, and he stared dully in front of him as if he saw nothing. They all looked hungry and tired. Harry watched them without blinking, hardly able to believe this was the family that had threatened him for so long. They seemed so pathetic, so weak and helpless as they stood there with iron manacles chaining their wrists together.

A small smile played on Mr. Weasley's face as he gazed down at them. "Hmm," he said softly so only the people in the jury box could hear, "I'm guessing Kisses all around."

Mr. Weasley began stacking up papers, parchment after parchment on top of each other while the courtroom waited sat in silence. Finally, Narcissa couldn't take the quiet any more.

"Please," she cried, her voice strangled and hoarse, "don't hurt my son. Do what you like to us, but leave my son alone."

"Quiet," Lucius hissed as her, his face full of panic. "Quiet, woman."

"No," Narcissa grew frantic, "no, don't listen to him. I beg you, I beg all of you, don't hurt my son. Draco did nothing - Lucius and I - we will take the blame."

Lucius stepped towards her angrily, but Mr. Weasley banged on his gavel.

"Prisoners will remain silent until called on for testimony," Mr. Weasley ordered. "First, the list of accusations."

For the next ten minutes, the sins of the Malfoys rang through the courtroom, all emphasized in Mr. Weasley's stern voice. Beginning with crimes committed years ago up through the last spring. Harry sat in horrified amazement at all the things the Malfoys had done. Lucius being a Death Eater, Lucius giving Ginny Tom Riddle's diary, Draco's involvement with Dolores Umbridge, Narcissa's arrangement with Snape to kill Dumbledore, Hermione's torture at Malfoy Manor . . . on and on the crimes went.

Narcissa began crying halfway through, and by the end, she had both arms wrapped around Draco and was sobbing, her face buried into his shoulder. Draco gave no sign of life - Harry wasn't even sure if he had blinked the entire time.

"For all these crimes," Mr. Weasley ground out, "how do you plead?"

"We didn't mean to," Narcissa wept. "We were tricked into it, into all of it."

"Prisoners pled guilty," Mr. Weasley looked triumphant.

"Not Draco!" Narcissa cried. "Never Draco. Lucius and I - we did it all. Draco never would have done anything if we haven't pushed him into it."

"Yet, Draco did participate and must be held responsible," Mr. Weasley announced. "This jury will decide the level of his involvement, whether he spends a lifetime in Azkaban or receives the Kiss."

Narcissa gasped for breath. She turned so pale Harry was sure she would faint. Tears spilled down her white cheeks, and then she looked at her husband "You did it!" she screamed. "You monster, you've killed our son. You've killed us all!"

Narcissa grabbed for her husband before the guards could separate them. She was screaming and fighting, and when the guards pulled her out of the box, Lucius had bleeding scratches down his face.

"Take the prisoner back to her cell," Mr. Weasley ordered, bang his gavel. "Sentence will be passed without the prisoner present."

"No, not my Draco!" Narcissa begged as she was dragged towards the door. "No, no, don't hurt him. Please!"

She looked right at Harry, her beautiful eyes full of agony. "I saved you!" she screamed. "I saved you - don't let them kill my son. I let you live!"

"Take her away," Mr. Weasley ordered. "I will have order in my courtroom. Trial will continue."

Lucius did not make a move towards his son - the two Malfoy men stood in the box like perfect strangers, Lucius trying to keep any shred of dignity and Draco looking catatonic.

"Do the remaining prisoners have any testimony to give?" Mr. Weasley asked.

It was a climatic moment - Harry knew that much. Mr. Weasley had Lucius Malfoy right where he always wanted him. Lucius had nothing to hide behind, not his name or his money or his friends. Lucius looked around briefly and then shook his head and returned to staring at the floor.

"And the younger Mr. Malfoy has nothing to add?"

Harry leaned forward. Part of him wanted to smirk at Draco, to punish him for all the torment Draco had inflicted. But another part of Harry wanted to yell at Draco to speak, to stand up for himself, to refuse to burn for his parents' sins.

Draco gave no indication that he had heard anything. He didn't even look up.

Mr. Weasley began to start reading through the pile of evidence. If the list of crimes against the Malfoys had been overwhelming, the evidence to support those accusations was absolutely damning. Witnesses had written statements, the Malfoys movements had been tracked, and records of evils deeds done with their wands were there as well. Their house had been raided and ransacked, and Mr. Weasley had a list of all the Dark Arts objects that were hidden there.

Obviously, Mr. Weasley had been planning to get the Malfoys for a long time, and he read the papers with a half-smile on his face. Whereas the trials of the other prisoners had progressed at a steady pace, Mr. Weasley seemed to take pleasure in dragging out the Malfoys' case. Every piece of paper, Mr. Weasley read aloud and then asked for any objections or explanations from the prisoners. Lucius did not have the strength to protest, and Draco did not move.

The bell for lunch rang, and Mr. Weasley announced, "We will break for lunch. Guards, take the prisoners out of the box. When we return, Mr. Harry Potter will give his evidence for the case of Malfoy vs. the Ministry."

Harry watched as Lucius stepped out of the box, but the guard had to nudge Draco into movement. The blond haired boy looked he was sleep walking without the hope of ever walking up.

"That was quite a long time to spend on one case," Mrs. Longbottom reflected as she stood up.

"Yes, but I plan to finish the Malfoys once and for all," Mr. Weasley announced. "I want Lucius executed and Narcissa and Draco Kissed."

Mr. Weasley turned as walked out of the room. An uncomfortable silence followed with half the jury looking sympathetic with Mr. Weasley and the other half unsure what to say.

Harry was in the latter half, and he hesitated only for a second before slipping out of the room.

He glanced around himself uncertainly and then headed for the stairs, down to the cells where all the prisoners were held. He reached the huge iron doors and tapped the knocker softly. The window box slid open, and Harry saw the top half of a guard's face.

"Yes, may I help you?"

"I'm - I'm Harry Potter," Harry said, unnecessarily for he saw that the guard recognized him. "I need to speak to one of the prisoners."

The guard's brow wrinkled in confusion. "I'm not supposed to let anyone -"

"I'm on the jury," Harry said hurriedly. "I just need to speak to one prisoner - you can keep my wand while I'm in there."

The guard hesitated and then nodded. He shut the window, and Harry heard heavy bolts sliding back before the guard opened the door.

Harry handed out his wand, and the guard took it, asking, "Which prisoner?"

"Narcisa Malfoy," Harry replied.

"This way," the guard led him down a maze of hallways.

Some of the cells looked like a Muggles' prison - iron bars spaced about four inches apart. Other cells were solid-walled with huge barred doors. The guard let Harry to one of the solid cells and began pulling back the bar from the door.

"You have ten minutes," the guard announced.

Inside, the cell was ten feet by ten with a single metal bar across the ceiling that glowed weakly so the room was not completely dark. Narcissa sat on one of the two wooden stools in one corner, tears still leaking down her cheeks and her arms chained together.

She looked up fearfully when the guard opened the door, and her red eyes widened when she saw Harry.

"What?" she put a hand on the wall to brace herself. "What - have you come to me that it's over? Where is Draco? Where is Draco! What did you do to him?"

"Ten minutes," the guard nodded and stepped out, sealing the door shut.

"The trial broke for lunch," Harry said awkwardly. "I don't have much time - but I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?" Narcissa sank back onto her seat. "What could you possibly say to me now?"

"What you said in the courtroom," Harry cleared his throat. "About saving me. Well, you did - when you told them I was dead. You saved me, but you wouldn't have had to if I wasn't in danger first."

Narcissa watched him silently.

"Your family has always put me in danger," Harry continued, feeling nervous. "Lucius was a Death Eater and he tried to kill Ginny. He would have let Voldemort kill me the night Cedric died. He would have killed me in the Ministry the night Sirius died. Draco would have killed me the night Dumbledore died, except Snape told him not to. You have stood by their decision and your sister's for years. So I'm asking you now, why should I care? Why should I care if you all die?"

Harry was surprised at the coldness in his own voice, but Narcissa showed nothing but misery. She lowered her head into her hands and began to cry, her shoulders shaking violently.

Harry turned to go for the door when Narcissa started talking. At first, her words were jumbled, and then she began to talk faster and faster.

"It was all so easy in the beginning . . . so very simple. Lucius - he promised me that the Dark Lord would win. He would win, and if we wanted to keep our standing in the Wizarding world, we needed to be on the winning side. The Dark Lord fell when Draco was a baby, and Lucius had the Dark Mark, but he said we needed to wait to see what would happen. Then he came back, and I thought Lucius would be killed. By then, Lucius convinced me that a child could never defeat the Dark Lord, and that we would be killed if we didn't side with the Death Eaters. I wanted Draco to have power, not as much as his father wanted it, but I didn't see why my son couldn't make the Malfoy name even better. But these last two years, I finally realized Draco would be sacrificed for Lucius's mistakes . . ." Narcissa leaned back against the wall, her face sagged into exhaustion. "I would do anything for Draco. I still love Lucius, but for him, it was never about us. It was about him, and we were always second. But for me, Draco will always come first. I'll do anything to save my son."

Harry did not move as he watched her.

"Do what you like to me," Narcissa continued. "Kill me, Kiss me, send me to Azkaban and seal the door forever. But don't hurt my baby. He'll die in Azkaban, and he can't get the Kiss. Don't let him get the Kiss - I would die. I have money - it's all yours if you help Draco."

"I can't take -"

"I have property, too," Narcissa rushed on. "Houses in other countries. You can sell them and never work again, travel all over the world. I have family jewelry, heirlooms that are priceless. They're all yours if Draco lives."

"I don't want your stuff," Harry said sharply.

Tears began trickling down Narcissa's cheeks, and she looked tortured and broken.

"Please," she begged out of lips that barely moved. "Please, please, from a mother for her son to another son."

"Voldemort killed my mother," Harry said simply.

Narcissa nodded, more tears spilling out with the movement. "Yes, she did what was necessary to protect her son. I would do anything to protect Draco."

Harry had nothing to say. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. And then the guard began opening the door.

Narcissa slipped off the stool and fell on her knees before Harry. She reached out and grabbed his hand. "Please, I beg you," she whispered. "I ask what my husband never will, I beg you on my knees, I plead for my son. I offer myself for him - take me instead. I beg you to help him."

"Time's up," the guard announced.

Harry looked down at Narcissa, and then he pulled away without a word. As the guard shut the door, Harry could hear her crying again.

He got some lunch and ate in the corner of the room by himself. The other jurors were discussing the case, but Harry refused to listen and concentrated on chewing and trying not to think. He wished more than anything he could crawl back into his bed and hide until it was all over. Once it was over, he could move forward, but now he was stuck. Stuck between his heart and his head, his good intentions and his need for closure, between his hatred of evil and his hope for the future.

"It's time," someone announced from the doorway.

Harry put his sandwich wrapper in the wastebasket. He had not remembered eating the sandwich, but it was gone and he walked quietly back into the courtroom.

The Malfoys came out again; Narcissa was with them, pale and shaking, but silent.

Mr. Weasley picked up the papers again and gave a brief description of the evidence thus far, and then he turned to Harry.

"Now, Mr. Potter will give evidence," Mr. Weasley nodded towards him.

Harry had given evidence before, but he had never felt so nervous as he stood up and made his way to the magic microphone.

"What can you testify about the Malfoys?" Mr. Weasley asked.

Harry looked at the box. Narcissa was crying, but her face was set in marble, her eyes round and open. Draco did not move, but Lucius lifted his eyes, and Harry looked into those pale blues eyes for a second.

"The Malfoys deserve to be punished for their crimes," Harry stated flatly. "They have lied, betrayed their fellow wizards, tortured, killed, and sided with Voldemort more than once. They all deserve the Kiss."

Narcissa made a choking noise. She covered her face. Lucius looked at her, and for a second, he seemed nothing more than a concerned husband and father. The look faded, but Harry felt as if he had just witnessed a private family moment.

Harry was about to step back to allow Mr. Weasley to ask questions, but Harry suddenly stepped closer to the microphone and grabbed it with one hand.

"But," Harry said, trying to calm the frantic beating of his heart, "they have done good as well. Lucius Malfoy did give the diary to Ginny, but I was able to destroy it, thus removing one of the seven Horcruxes. That gave Dumbledore a clue that there were more. Draco did try to kill me and Dumbledore, but he was doing so to protect his own life and was forced to serve Voldemort to repay Lucius's shortcomings. And Narcissa did save my life in the final battle, telling everyone I was dead and allowing me to live long enough to defeat Voldemort once and for all. Because of this, I cast my vote for them only to go to Azkaban."

"Wait!" Mr. Weasley said sharply, but Harry kept going.

"I believe Lucius belongs in Azkaban permanently, and Narcissa for several years, but I ask my fellow jurors to reconsider Draco Malfoy."

For the first time, a flicker of recognition shown in Draco eyes, and he blinked slowly.

"Consider that Draco was underage when he was forced to join the Death Eaters," Harry spoke in the microphone and ignored the cold sweat rolling down his back. "He was pushed into doing something that may or may not have been his choice. Lucius was an unfit father, and the Ministry shares in the responsibility for not removing Draco from such an environment."

Lucius looked angry, but Narcissa looked slightly less tortured.

Harry wasn't really sure where he was finding the right words, but he kept talking. "I believe Draco can be rehabilitated given the proper conditions. I believe that he should give up his wand, be declared a ward of the court, and be under probation for the next few years with a - a guardian to oversee his progress."

Mr. Weasley looked stunned as did the other jurors. Harry couldn't believe his own words that had just left his own mouth. He wasn't sure he understood what he had said, but he decided to keep talking. "I think Draco should have - uh, his ‘of age' thing redone. Say he can't be of age until twenty-one or twenty-three. See if time with someone not connected with the Dark Arts can change him."

"That's impossible," Mr. Weasley cut through. "They all deserve the Kiss."

"I won't vote that way," Harry said adamantly. "I won't see them punished that way, and you will never get my vote."

Mrs. Tonks looked frustrated, and Kingsley shook his head as Mrs. Longbottom frowned.

"A short recess!" Mr. Weasley declared.

All the jurors marched Harry back to the lunchroom, and Mr. Weasley pointed to a chair. Harry sank into it and shrank back as the other standing adults gathering around him.

"This is not protocol," Mr. Weasley began. "You do not announce your idea of sentencing in front of the prisoners."

"They need to suffer the consequences," Mrs. Longbottom insisted, going as far as to point her forefinger at Harry.

"You are out of line, Mr. Potter," Mrs. Tonks added. "You may think you are in charge of this, but you are only one member of this juror and the youngest member at that."

"Harry, I understand your hesitation," Kingsley began, but Mr. Diggory interrupted.

"These people killed my son," he stepped in front of Kingsley. "Lucius was one of the Death Eaters at the graveside where my boy died."

Mundangus said nothing, just watched with glowering eyes.

Harry felt a wave of helpless sweep over him, and he wished he could run back to the bathroom and hide. He hurt inside, a swelling pain that made his chest ache. And then Harry raised his head, his teeth set.

"No," he said in a low voice, "no, it ends here. I'm not agreeing to a death sentence for the Malfoys. Yes, maybe they deserve it, Lucius does, I agree. But Draco was pushed into this. Two years ago, he was miserable at Hogwarts because he had to take Lucius's place to please Voldemort. Why should he die just because his parents were cruel and greedy for power? I won't do it. I say no."

Mr. Weasley stopped short, and for a moment, Harry saw the man he used to be - Ron's dad who laughed and smiled and loved his family. Mr. Weasley straightened and Harry saw the man who had lost a son, had two sons brutally maimed, and Harry suddenly realized that he was looking at his future father-in-law. This man would expect him to take care of his only daughter, to love and protect her.

"I can't do it, Arthur," Harry admitted. "I just can't."

Mr. Weasley must have seen something absolute on Harry's face for the older man turned away without another word.

"Do you really expect us to let Draco wander free?" Mrs. Tonks demanded. "Just let him go?"

"No, I was serious," Harry protested. "Why can't he live with someone? Put him under house arrest. See if he changes. Worst that can happen is that he doesn't change, and then you can send him to Azkaban. But he might change, and you will have an example to show other wayward wizards that people can change for the better if they are given a second chance."

"He won't change," Mrs. Longbottom snapped. "He's been a horrible bully since he was child, and he will be the same forever. Don't think I haven't seen how he treats my Neville."

"Who would take him in?" Kingsley asked before Mrs. Longbottom could go on. "Who would want him near their family?"

"You could never place him in someone's home," Mundangus shook his head. "He'd be a threat to anyone living there."

"Without his wand?" Kingsley raised an eyebrow.

"He'd find a way kill them all," Mrs. Longbottom insisted. "Nasty boy with those sneaky eyes and his father's ugly temper."

"And if we send him to any of his extended family, that might be worse," Mr. Diggory spoke up. "The whole branch of the family is corrupt."

"Sirius wasn't!" Harry protested, but no one was listening to him.

"And why waste the time on him?" Mundangus said. "Cart him off to Azkaban and forget it. In a few years, if he's still alive, we can reconsider. There have already been enough suicides in the place - one or two more won't make that much a difference."

"Why are we spending so much time on him?" Mrs. Tonks asked. "Get rid of the whole family, and let us get back to the other cases."

"So they all go to Azkaban?" Kingsley asked, glancing quickly at Harry. "Are we agreed or should we go hear the rest of the evidence?"

"They'll have to," Mrs. Tonks decided. "Who would volunteer to take in Draco?"

"I'll do it."

Harry blinked, finally realizing that the words had come from him. All the adults swung their heads to look at him.

"Excuse me?" Mrs. Longbottom said, pressing her lips together. "You?"

"Yes," Harry nodded, deciding to press on through since he had started down this path. "I'm of age. With the magical binding spell, Draco will be underage. He can't use magic, and we can put up wards so he can't leave."

"Impossible," Mundangus declared. "You can't take in Draco Malfoy. That would absolutely never happen - not if you live a thousand years."

------

Harry walked into the kitchen to see everyone around the table. Hermione and Ron had their heads together, whispering secrets while Neville was showing a herbology book to Luna who was gazing out the window. Kreacher dashed around the table, serving food on big plates and grabbing cups of tea.

Hermione looked up with a smile that faded the moment she saw Harry.

"What's wrong?" she asked immediately.

"Well," Harry stopped just inside the doorway, "I have some bad news and some more bad news and some worse news."

Everyone looked at him anxiously.

Harry gave a sheepish smile. "I kind of invited someone else to - er, stay here for a while."

"What?" Ron and Hermione said together.

"And it's not for a while, but maybe for a year," Harry went on, feeling like an absolute idiot.

Ron and Hermione did not look happy, and Neville glanced uncomfortably at Luna.

"And more than that, it's a recent prisoner of the Ministry," Harry stammered on. "And - and it's him."

He stepped back, and Draco stepped in front of the doorway. He still had the iron chains on his wrists, and he looked torn between panic and exhaustion.

Neville dropped his book on the floor with a thud.