A chuckle came from behind him, causing Harry to twirl around. There was a man standing at the sink, looking at him with obvious amusement. “It will calm down after a while. Before you know it, they'll barely remember you name.”

Harry scoffed and raked a hand through his already messy hair. “Somehow, I doubt that. They didn't forget me when I vanished into the muggle world.”

“True, but back then you where a mystery. This time, they'll come across you on a daily basis and soon enough, you're presence will be as normal as a Forbidden Forest that borders a school.”

Harry outright laughed at that “Yes, because it is completely normal for kids to have access to such a dangerous place. Not to mention the utter idiocy of calling it Forbidden..”

“Aah, you are a treasure aren't you?” The man was smiling, his eyes crinkling in much the same way as Dumbledore's used to do.

Harry just shrugged and washed his hands, trying to make it look as if he'd gone in there for some other reason than hiding from his overzealous admires. “May I ask who you are?”

“You may ask, I may not answer though.”

Harry gave the man an amused glance. “Whom do I have the pleasure of meeting?”

“Well, my dear boy. My name is Angus, Angus the janitor. I keep this place clean.”

“This place as in, this bathroom?”

Chuckling, the man shook his head “Well yes, as well as the rest of the ministry.”

“You take care of all their crap, all by yourself?”

“Oh no, I have a few others working for me. But it's not so bad you know, being a janitor is much less taxing with access to magic.”

Nodding Harry turned to dry his hands. “Most things are.” Turning back he held out his hand towards the man. “It's nice to meet you Angus.”

The man took his hand and shook it jovially “Yes, it is nice to meet you as well Mr. Potter. Before you leave though, I have a question.”

Holding back a sigh, Harry nodded “All right, but only if you never speak of this again. I would like to be able to go to the loo without interruptions.”

Angus just smiled “Well, since you came in here for other purposes, I thought it would be acceptable. But, I will not tell anyone we spoke. As for the question, I would like to know if you are going to accept a seat on The Wizengamot.”

Taken aback, Harry just stared him. Not knowing what to say. Finally he asked “How... How do you know about that?”

“I'm a janitor, we know many things.”

Scoffing Harry shook his head “I haven't decided yet. It's not really my thing. Hermione would be way better for the position..” He paused and frowned in thought “Though, with the history that the ministry has.. I suppose even I could be of some use.”

“You doubt yourself. You shouldn't.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I saw you out there, you handled the situation well.”

“I lost control of my magic. I would not consider that handling the situation.”

“Yes, but that may not have been a bad thing. The world loves you Mr. Potter. If you allowed them to mob you like that, you would not fare well. You may have not intended to do it but what happened out there was a good thing.”

Harry shook his head. “No, it wasn't. It will be in the paper tomorrow and I'll have another year of Hogwarts students whispering behind my back.”

The old man's eyes lit up. “You are returning to Hogwarts?”

“Yes, I need my N.E.W.T.s.”

“Good, that's good. As for the whispering, let them. It will ensure that they remember to keep some distance. You didn't hurt anyone and you apologized immediately. And while that may have been forgotten in the wake of your small show of magic, you followed up with that bit about answers in the Quibbler. It will ensure they can't twist it into something it was not.”

Harry snorted at that. “You seem to have forgotten how the Hogwarts grapevine works.”

Angus smile slyly. “Oh no, I haven't. But you are a smart boy and you are currently at the top of the world.. Well, at the top of the wizarding world. You can do anything, go anywhere you want. You can play to the media, become a star. You can retreat, forget the world and live a nice and peaceful life somewhere. You can become an Auror, go into politics, teach at Hogwarts.. You can turn the world upside down if you wished.”

Harry rolled his eyes. The man was insane, he had to be. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because, my dear Mr. Potter. I saw you out there a moment ago. You have a knack with people. You may not know it, but people flock to you. And it's not just because of what you have done in the past. You are smart and hold a great deal of power, magically, socially as well as politically. But you are also kind, caring and loyal. On top of that, you have the ability to hold the attention of a hundred people without even trying. You can change our world Mr. Potter.”

Sighing deeply, Harry shook his head sadly. “I can't. I'm not the man you seem to think I am. I don't like the spotlight, I can't stand having so many people gawk at me”

“Oh, I know. But you cannot change that. While you can do whatever you want; witches and wizards will always, as you put it, gawk at you. What you do with the rest of your life won't change that. Why not try do use it for some good.”

“Because it will only cause more publicity. I don't want to read about myself in every morning paper for the rest of my life.”

Angus chuckled “Unless you plan on killing another Dark Lord, the publicity won't get any worse. You could add to your achievements but what could possibly overshadow your fight against that mad man?”

“I don't know. With my luck, we'll have an answer in a few years.” Harry answered, completely serious and positively convinced that a new prophecy had just been added to the Department of Mysteries.

Giving Harry a comforting pat on his arm, Angus said “Maybe, but that can wait. For now, just don't sell yourself short. You could do a lot of good in many different ways. You don't have to go into politics to make a difference. Just look at Albus Dumbledore, he was considered the most powerful and influential wizard for many years and he spend his life teaching children.”

Giving the man a weak smile, Harry nodded. He didn't like the comment. As if Harry could ever be like Albus Dumbledore, it was ridiculous. Though, not that long ago he had been thinking that he was acting rather like the old headmaster, meddling in Malfoy's trial like that. “I will think about it. First I would like to finish my education.”

The man nodded “Good. Now, good luck at the Malfoy trial.”

Harry blinked a few times, completely dumbfounded as to how the janitor seemed to know so much. Instead of commenting, he gave the man a smile and left the bathroom. The people he passed all stared, some of them nodded, while others tried to get in a quick word. Harry smiled and nodded to them in acknowledgement but refused to stop. He was absolutely certain that, as soon as he stopped, they would all converge and kill him with their tenacity.

Ducking into the lift that was just closing, he was pleasantly surprised to find Mr. Weasley.

“Harry my boy, how have you been? Did your first night alone in that mansion of yours go all right?”

Harry grinned at him and nodded “Perfectly fine, sir. I found several portraits that seem to be sentient but none of them have responded as of yet, they simply sleep. I'm hoping there will be a few that can tell me about my family. And I found a bunch of guest rooms, if ever the whole Weasley family is homeless, I have room enough.”

Mr. Weasley chuckled “Let's hope that won't be necessary. Tell me, what is it that drew you out into the world?”

“Well, I'm currently trying to avoid a stampede. I came to visit Minister Shacklebolt and now I'm waiting for Draco's trial to start.”

Mr. Weasley looked at him, curiosity written all over his face. While Harry had been learning to keep his own emotions of his face, others became more of an open book every day. “You are going to the trial for the Malfoy boy?”

Nodding, Harry looked away from him. Hoping that Mr. Weasley wasn't going to try to stop him. Lately, both Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were becoming more and more overbearing. It wasn't that Harry had a problem with it, it was just that every time they tried to parent him, Harry remembered that none of his own family survived. Worse, that the only person who had really known either of his parents and might still be alive, was currently missing and would most likely still hate Harry ones he returned to the world. “Yeah..” Harry hesitated, trying to think of a good explanation. “I think I could help.. He was just a child when this all started, he changed, especially this past year.”

Mr. Weasley just smiled and patted Harry's arm “I know Harry. How about you come with me and wait in my office. I have my own office now, and it's a grand one to.”

Harry gave him a smile and nodded, happy to have somewhere private to wait for the trial.

When they entered Mr. Weasley's office, Harry looked around in appreciation. The office was about half the side of the Minister's office but it was still ten times larger than Mr. Weasley's previous space. Sitting down in one of the lounge chairs, Harry took a good look around. “So, how did you receive such a marvellous office?”

Mr. Weasley poured them both a cup of tea and handed one to Harry. “Minister Shacklebolt has appointed me the Head of the Department of Muggle Interests. They moved all the offices that had anything to do with muggles to the department. It's mostly the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes but a few other offices were moved as well. This morning I was consulting with the Muggle-Worthy Excuses Committee on some of the trouble You-Know-Who caused and tomorrow I'll have to get the Invisibility task force and the Obliviators to ensure the stories are put out there. I'm mostly playing intermediary between all the departments at the moment but I get to speak to a lot of muggles too. I even spoke with the muggle Prime Minister last week.”

Harry stopped himself from chuckling at that. It wasn't that he thought Mr. Weasley wrong for the job. He wasn't. In fact, Harry thought that there was no one better than Mr. Weasley. It was just that the office would put Mr. Weasley in more contact with muggles and Harry could only imagine their faces when the man accosted them with questions about completely ordinary things. “Is that why you've been so busy? Mrs. Weasley wouldn't tell us anything, said you wanted the whole family together to hear the good news?”

Mr. Weasley nodded “Yes, with Fred in the hospital we haven't been able to have a real family meeting. To many Weasley's to visit at once, you know..”

Harry nodded. He could understand that. After all those years slaving for the ministry, it was understandable that the man wanted to share amazing news like this with everyone at ones. “It sounds like it's a lot of work, this new job”

Mr. Weasley sighed, but smiled happily “It is, it definitely is. But it will get better ones the mess You-Know-Who created is cleared up. Once that is over, the minister has promised me that I will be representing the muggle community in the new government. That man has a lot of plans, it's all rather exciting.”

“Yeah, he asked me to take a seat on The Wizengamot this morning. Personally, I think he might be going insane or senile.”

Mr. Weasley shook his head at Harry, clearly disagreeing “I think he's right Harry. You're a good man and you have influence. The Wizengamot would be very lucky to have you.”

Harry took another sip of his tea. Thinking how strange it was that everybody kept saying that. Even some stranger in a toilet told him to take the seat, and had given a fairly impassioned argument for why he should do it to boot. Cocking his head, he looked at Mr. Weasley “Why would you say that? You know I'm no good with all the attention.”

“Except that's not true and you know it. You don't like all the attention and that is perfectly fine. But you are very good with public speaking and the like. In fact, you are a natural at it. I heard how you got all the students to ban together to form that club, Dumbledore's Army. And then they all followed you into the ministry.”

“Yeah, after I told them not to. See, I'm really not a good leader.”

“A true leader doesn't need obedient followers Harry, you know that. You inspire loyalty because of who you are. People listen to you because, when you speak, you make them listen. You don't spin tales or obfuscate the truth, you tell it the way you see it. You have a pure heart Harry, you'll help and defend anyone who needs it. You my boy, would be the perfect person to bang some sense into those old geezers on The Wizengamot.”

Giving another long suffering sigh, Harry shook his head “I don't want to be a politician Mr. Weasley, that's not my thing.”

“You don't need to be. Proxies are allowed for most of the meetings, I doubt that will change. You could let someone else take your seat when you have more pressing matters to attend to. That way, you can do what you want and still have some say when something important comes up.”

Sitting forward, Harry looked at Mr. Weasley intently “I can have someone else attend for me and still have a say when they are discussing something that interests me?”

“Well, a proxy is supposed to give them your opinion. So yes, you'll still have a say. You just have to ensure that you choose wisely. You don't want a proxy that abuses the power to push his or her own agenda. They will be representing you, so whatever your proxy does or says, will reflect on you.”

Harry bit his lower lip and thought for a moment. “Hermione would probably be happy to do it. She wants to work at the ministry anyway.” Chuckling a bit, he gave a sly glance at Mr. Weasley “Just imagine how much better the elves will have it with her in a position of power.”

Mr. Weasley nodded sagely “Yes, Hermione would be very happy if you made her your proxy. The whole ministry will have updated their laws on magical creatures in no time. Before we know it, elves, werewolves, vampire, trolls and goblins will all have their own house at Hogwarts.” He paused, smiling slightly. Then he gave Harry a long look over “I hope this isn't to intrusive but.. Have you had any letters from her this week?”

“No, why do you ask?”

Mr. Weasley sighed deeply. “Ron hasn't heard from her either and I heard him grumble that you'd probably been getting letters from her every day. My boy is a little insecure. What with his girlfriend leaving for the other side of the world only days after they started dating...”

Harry rolled his eyes “Yeah, that's Ron for you.. It will take some time before he realizes she loves him and stops being jealous of every guy she speaks to.” Harry was just glad Ron wasn't jealous over his fame any more. Now, it was just his friendship with Hermione, and Harry had a feeling that would get better soon enough. It was just bad at the moment because Hermione had gone to Australia to bring her parents back, and Ron had stayed behind to care for Fred with the rest of his family.

“I'm glad you don't hold it against him. Ron has always been overshadowed by his brothers and then he met you.. It took him some time to learn that he didn't have to be in the shadow of someone else, that he could step forward into his own spot of sunlight. I think he understand that now, that there is no reason to be jealous. That everyone can be a hero in their own way, if they try their best. He just hasn't figured out why Hermione would choose him over you. To him, you'll always be The Hero, even if you're his best friend and he knows all your flaws.”

Harry smiled lightly. While Ron's jealousy had sometimes aggravated Harry more than even Draco's bullying, he'd never blamed Ron for it. It wasn't his fault and the fact that he still wanted to be friends with Harry had always meant a lot. There were times when he wanted to wring his friend's neck because of it, but mostly he just shrugged it of. And lately, only Hermione seemed to make him jealous and Harry could deal with that. Knowing that that situation would resolve itself, Harry let the matter rest and changed the subject.

“Has Ron decided whether he wants to go back to school?”

“No, he probably won't decide for a while yet. Personally, I don't think he really wants to go back. You know he's been talking with Fred and George about working with them, right?”

“Yeah, he mentioned something like that.. But I thought it was more along the line of filling in for Fred until he's better.”

Mr. Weasley nodded “That was the plan at first, but now that Fred is awake and doing better every day, they have been discussing opening that second store in Hogsmead. Ron's offered to help them out.”

“It never ceases to amaze me how little regard those three have for Mrs. Weasley's wrath.. Though, I'd like to be a fly on the wall when she realizes that another of her sons doesn't want to go for his N.E.W.T.s”

“I have already told the boys not to tell her when I'm home. While being a fly on the wall, as you put it, seems like a good time, I would not like to be within range for that. No matter how much I love and adore my wife.”

Harry chuckled and put his now empty cup on the side table. Looking at his watch he stood up slowly “Well, I think it's time for me to go. The trial will be starting in a little while.”

Mr. Weasley stood up and waved his wand over Harry. “A small notice-me-not charm. If you don't dawdle in the hallway, it will hold until you reach the courtroom. Don't worry Harry, do whatever you can to help the boy and it will all work out.”

Harry thanked him and after another encouraging pat on his shoulder from Mr. Weasley, Harry left for Courtroom eight.

When Harry arrived, The Wizengamot was already in attendance and were sitting on the left side of the room. The witnesses were all sitting on the right side, where the press would have been had they been allowed inside. Draco hadn't been brought in yet. Harry walked in and sat next to the Headmistress. The charm had yet to wear off, and Harry took the extra time to look around. The other four students were sitting in front of him, none of them were talking. Behind him were the two witnesses Harry didn't know, whispering in a tone to low for Harry to overhear. The three professors were all sitting on the other side of McGonagall. Harry noticed Flitwick had brought several think books and stacked them on the bench so he could see over the students in front of him.

On the other side of the room, the members of The Wizengamot were talking amongst themselves. Harry tried to listen in but gave up when he couldn't separate the voices. Only moments later, he heard Minerva gasped. Looking to his side he saw her wide eyes and open mouth and chuckled.

“Mr. Potter. What are you doing here?” Her voice was crisp and Harry understood instantly that she was not happy with his appearance.

Harry smiled innocently. “I'm here to make my statement.”

The headmistress sighed. “Mr. Potter, this will affect Mr. Malfoy's whole life.”

“Professor, I'm here to help, not hinder.” Harry interrupted before she could start a lecture on why he should not have come.

She gave him a scrutinizing look, than gave him a soft smile. “I should have known. You would help your worst enemy if you believed it to be for the best.”

Scoffing, Harry shrugged “I suppose that's true.. I tried to save Snape while I still believed he was to blame for Dumbledore's death. Hell, I gave Riddle a chance to change his mind, even though I knew he would never feel even the slightest bit of remorse.”

The headmistress gave him a fond look “That's one of your best qualities Harry. Don't ever doubt your instinct when it comes to helping others.”

“Dumbledore believed that he was doing what was for the best. Yet, things would have gone very wrong had it all turned out as he had planned.” Harry could help but point that out.

“Professor Dumbledore, Harry. And you are not our late Headmaster. In some ways, you may be similar, but in many others, you are very different. Albus once told me that you have a heart more pure than any other he had ever seen, and I agree. You will do great things Harry. Just listen to your heart and do the best you can.”

“People have been telling me that a lot lately. Everyone seems to think I am on my way to become this great wizard when I don't even know if I still want to be an Auror.” Harry bit his lip. He hadn't wanted to say that. He wasn't sure how she would react to him changing his mind on the Auror thing after she had fought for him against that toad.

McGonagall put a hand on his arm and gave him an encouraging smile. “You will figure it out in due time. You have a few months of summer and a whole school year left to decide. And unlike your previous years, there will be no dark lords disturbing your studies.”

Harry's first thought was 'DON'T SAY THAT OUT LOUD!' but before he could say it, the door on the far side of the court opened and Draco walked in, flanked by two rather large Aurors. The boy looked rather dirty, his hair a complete mess, but he didn’t slouch in shame. He kept his eyes straight forward and sat in the chair without protest. He seemed much better than most prisoners after spending time in Azkaban. Which was probably due to the fact that Kingsley had removed the Dementors and the prisoners were now guarded by Aurors.

Everybody settled down while one of the Aurors spelled a thick chain around Malfoy. Harry found it laughable, as if Draco could do anything without a wand. When everyone was quiet, Kingsley started the trial.

Harry didn't listen to all the niceties. He didn't really care about the case number or the names of any of the people there. The only ones that really mattered at this point were Kingsley and Madam Bones. Instead, Harry watched Malfoy, who was still staring at a spot directly in front of him. He didn't seem nervous or afraid. It wasn't that he looked confident or defeated either. He seemed simply neutral, like a blank slate that could become anyone. It was a good look for the circumstances. It made Harry wonder if Malfoy had been coached. Any emotion could be construed either as a sign of innocence or guilt, and Harry was certain that right now, most would go for guilty. When Harry had considered Malfoy's case a few days ago, he'd realized right away that it would be impossible to prove him completely innocent. He'd figured the only way to keep him out of Azkaban, was to get him on parole or something. He'd intended to do more research but hadn't had the time. Now he was left wondering how Draco was planning for this to go. Was he planning on using his youth and emotional distress as mitigators as Harry had been thinking? Or did Malfoy figure out a better angle during the past weeks?

Harry was pulled out of his musings when Malfoy looked up and blinked a few times. Then he simply stated “Innocent” before looking back towards that undetermined spot in front of him. The minister nodded and said something about Veritaserum. Moments later, a young man came forward and put a few drops of the potion on Malfoy's tongue. Seconds ticked by in complete silence, then the questions started.

“Did you accept the Dark Mark?”

“Yes.”

“Did you do so willingly?”

“Yes.”

There was a pause, a few whispers. Then Kingsley asked “Why did you accept the mark?”

“Power. To safe my father. To keep my mother safe. To safe my own life. To show Potter that I'm better than him.”

Another pause, more whispers.

“Did you conspire to infiltrate Hogwarts and murder Albus Dumbledore?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“To get my father out of prison. To keep my mother safe. To safe my own life. To show them all than I'm better, stronger than them.”

“Did you attack Harry Potter during the Battle of Hogwarts?”

“No.”

“Did you fight during the battle of Hogwarts?”

“No.”

“Did you lie when Harry Potter was at your house during Easter break?”

“Yes.”

“About what?”

“I told them I didn't know whether it was him or not.”

“Why?”

“I was afraid they would call him. I was afraid he would kill Potter.”

Another round of murmurs, this time louder. Kingsley held up his hand and they fell quiet.
“Why were you afraid of Harry being killed?”

“Potter was our hope. I could not lose hope.”

“You were hoping he would kill Voldemort?”

“No.”

“That what were you hoping for?”

“To be set free.”

“From?”

“The Dark Lord.”

“Why did you change your mind about following Voldemort?”

“I learned what real power was.”

“And when was this?”

“When I heard the story of his resurrection.”

“You think that returning from the death is real power?”

“No.”

“What was is about the story that changed your mind?”

“Potter refused to bow down.”

The Wizengamot started whispering again and the minister seemed to be unsure of where to go from there. What the next question should be.

Without thinking, Harry stood up and spoke “Riddle wanted a duel. Felt he needed to prove to everyone that he was the better wizard.” Harry paused and grimaced slightly, that might have been a bit to similar as to what Malfoy had said before. Shooting a quick look at Malfoy, he noticed that Draco's head was turned and he was staring at Harry with wide eyes. “He told me to bow, you know like we were in a proper duel. I refused. He used Imperius, I still refused.” Harry sat back down, leaving it at that.

Kingsley seemed to have gathered his thoughts and gave a small nod in Harry's direction. Turning back to Malfoy, he continued his questioning.

“You now believe that that was real power?”

“No.”

“Then explain what exactly you believe to be real power?”

“Not grovelling to someone because they happen to be stronger wizards. Having the guts to stand up for people who can't stand up for themselves. Not giving up in the face of likely defeat.”

Kingsley nodded and wrote something down on the parchment in front of him. Looking at Malfoy's attorney he asked if he had any questions. The man nodded and went to stand in front of Malfoy, turning his back to the wizengamot.

“Do you regret your actions?”

“Some of them.”

“Would you join You-Know-Who if you had to do it again?”

“Maybe.”

The attorney open his mouth, than closed it again. He seemed to have expected a different answer. “Under what circumstances would you not have joined him?”

“If my mother was safe. If I had known about Professor Snape. If I had someone I trusted to help me stay safe. If I had understood how wrong I was.”

“How wrong you were about what?”

“The worth of bloodlines. The power of money. What makes a good person. What makes someone strong. How to be truly happy. How to earn my father's respect. Whether I should even want my father's respect. How to keep my mother safe. Who to trust. Who to follow–”

Malfoy gave the impression that the list was much longer but Kingsley held up his hand “That's enough.” and Malfoy stopped talking instantly.

The attorney nodded at the minister in thanks and turned back to Draco once more. “Do you believe that pure-bloods are better wizards than muggle-born wizards?”

“Sometimes.”

“You don't think you are better than a muggle.”

“Yes.”

A pause and a few blinks from the lawyer “Do you think you are better than muggles?”

“At magic, yes.”

“In general?”

“Maybe. Depends on the muggle.”

The lawyer nodded and turned back to the wizengamot. “Those were all the questions I had.”

Kingsley nodded in acknowledgement and turned slightly to address the rest of the wizengamot. “Moments before this trial started, I was given a memory. In this memory, I witnessed the death of Albus Dumbledore and the moments that preceded it. Do you agree to allow this memory to be added to the evidence?” After many 'Aye's The minister turned his eyes back to Malfoy, who had been forced to answer the question. To Harry's surprise, Malfoy had agreed to add the memory to the evidence as well.

“Were you going to kill Professor Dumbledore?”

“At first, yes.”

“Did you still intent to kill him at the end.”

Draco shook his head “No.”

“Why did you change your mind.”

“Because Dumbledore was right, I am not a killer.”

“So, a single conversation with Albus Dumbledore stopped you from following through on the plan you had worked on for months?”

“Yes.”

“Did you speak of your plan with anyone else?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“To keep my mother safe. To show them that I was strong enough to do it myself.”

“You wanted to prove you could do it alone?”

“Yes.”

“Would you have accepted the mission if your mother was not in danger?”

“Maybe.”

Kingsley sighed and rubbed a hand over his forehead. Harry could understand what the minister had meant before with questions under Veritaserum. The answers left quite a lot to be desired.

“Would you have accepted the mission if there had been no consequences had you refused?”

“No.”

Then again, Harry thought with a slight smile, Kingsley was very good at getting the answers he wanted. That was, if the minister was actually trying to help Draco. But Harry decided not to go there, for now Kingsley had not done anything to lose Harry's trust. Being the Minister of Magic was not enough reason to doubt him, not even after all the other knuckle headed ministers Harry had seen. If Harry had to remind himself of that every time he came into contact with the minister, then so be it.

“If we pronounce you innocent, what are your plans for the next 5 years”

“Finishing my education. Taking my father's place as the head of the family. Become an apprentice and getting a mastery”

“You wish to return to Hogwarts?”

“Yes.”

“And in what field do you want your mastery?”

“Potions or Defence Against the Dark Arts.”

Kingsley nodded and made another note. “We will now take a short recess in order to examine the last minute addition to the evidence. We will reconvene in thirty minutes.” He hit the gavel ones and everyone started to stir. The members of The Wizengamot left the room, presumably to go to a pensive somewhere. Harry stood up to stretch his legs but stayed near the benches. It was highly likely that the press was waiting outside, possibly trying to peek inside through the keyhole, and he wasn't in the mood to deal with them. So far, the trial seemed to be going well. Both the questions and the answers seemed to be going toward the guilty-but-reformed verdict. Leaving Harry to wonder why there hadn't been any questions in the line of 'did you commit any other crimes' or 'did you ever go on raids with the other death-eaters'. It seemed to Harry that such questions should have been asked were they actually trying to put Malfoy away.

“Hey Harry.” Neville's voice came from behind him.

Turning, Harry grinned at his friend “Hi Nev, how's it going?”

“Ooh, I'm great. Things are so different now, it's amazing.”

Harry appraised the boy standing in front of him and nodded slowly. Things were different now, especially for Neville. The confident man standing in front of Harry now was hardly recognizable as the scared little boy Harry had met on the train so many years ago. “So, what are you doing here?”

Neville shrugged “The headmistress asked me to come. She needed an honest and impartial Gryffindor. Beats me why she thought of me.”

Harry raised an eyebrow “Do you think Malfoy should go to Azkaban?”

“No.” Neville answered instantly “I mean, he's an ass and all that, but I saw him last year. Some of the Slytherins thought it was really cool you know, torturing the younger students. Malfoy just looked scared and he never 'practised' for the fun of it, only when the Carrows made him.”

Nodding, Harry concurred “Yeah, Malfoy changed... Though, I have to admit that I did not expect to hear him admit that some muggles are better than him.”

Neville gave a low chuckle “That was definitely interesting.”

They were quiet for a moment, both thinking of what they would say when they were called to testify. It was Neville who broke the silence “So, are you going back to Hogwarts?”

“Yeah, they offered to accept me into the Auror programme without N.E.W.T.s but I didn't think it such a great idea. I'd rather earn my place.”

“They talked to me about that too, but I was thinking of asking for an apprenticeship with Professor Sprout.”

They talked for awhile longer. Discussing anything from the past year to what their friends were up to and what idiotic things the papers were going to say about them next. Neville mentioned something about DA chocolate-frog cards and they had fun thinking of what it would be on the card of each member.

When the wizengamot returned, they took their places and Draco was brought back into the room. This time however, he took a seat on a chair slightly to the side. The trial resumed and the minister started to list the evidence. Kingsley gave a description of the memory Harry had given him, and read over several witness statements from Students and Order members. They all said somewhat the same thing. They'd seen Malfoy in some kind of compromising situation, such as the Battle of Hogwarts and the invasion of the astronomy tower, but only one person had seen him cast a spell, and that was a relatively harmless Petrificus Totalus. Soon enough they had come to the witness interrogation and the unknown wizard was called forward.

The man turned out to be a part time employee at Borgin and Burkes when Malfoy had been working on the Vanishing Cabinet. He had seen the boy in the store on several occasions, usually looking over the cabinet. When the minister asked if Malfoy had shown interest in any other object, Harry held his breath, afraid that he would mention the pendant. But the wizard shrugged and told them no. Then the unknown witch was called forward. The woman had apparently seen several meeting between Malfoy and Greyback. According to her, Malfoy had been an arrogant little boy who wanted to play with the big boys. Malfoy had seemed to become more scared the closer they got to the end of their sixth year. Her testimony was succinct and Harry thought she was being remarkably nice. Considering that she as talking about a meeting between a maniac werewolf and Malfoy junior.

Then came the student testimonies. The Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students gave a short description of their interaction with Malfoy over the years. They were asked if they believed Malfoy had changed. The Ravenclaw girl shrugged “None of us are the same as we were in first year. It's logical that we change, especially during our teens. But I think this particular generation has had a bit more going on than most. Not only did we have to grow up in an uncertain world, many of us had no choice but to choose a side and fight in a war before we even had our O.W.L.s. Malfoy made the wrong choice, and he saw the consequences of that choice first hand. He was in much more contact with the maniac than any of the other students, except maybe Harry Potter. I can't imagine it didn't have a profound effect on Malfoy, when being in the sidelines as had such an enormous influence on the rest of us.”

Harry thought that was a well thought out response, but it was all conjecture. Someone had to give an actual example of Malfoy doing something good. The testimony from the Hufflepuff student was similarly thought out. Never really saying that he believed Draco changed but explaining why it was unlikely that he hadn't.

When it was Neville's turn he gave an overview of all the horrible things Malfoy had done. It didn't sound good, not at all. But then he talked about their sixth year and how Malfoy had become increasingly withdrawn. And how Neville had not seen Malfoy acting cruel since then, unless he was trying to protect himself from the Carrows. He didn't have much more to say on the matter, just that he believed Malfoy had changed because he'd seen it happening. He couldn't really put a finger on it though, as he hadn't seen any actual evidence of the change.

Theodore Nott gave a quick overview of Malfoy's behaviour towards him over the years as well. It seemed to be generally decent. They had apparently studied together on occasion and Nott described Malfoy as one of the best students in their year. He was also able to give several stories of Malfoy helping younger students during the last year. Apparently, Malfoy had helped several of the Slytherin first and second years, who were have trouble dealing with the new reality of Hogwarts. Nott was very careful to mention that he had never heard Malfoy encourage or discourage the students from following the Carrows.

The testimonies from the teachers were all very.. dry. They spoke about Malfoy's behaviour during class, his grades, his homework and his overall behaviour. Like Nott, most of the teachers seemed to think him of above average intellect. When they were asked if they had ever caught Malfoy breaking the rules, only McGonagall had anything to say. Mentioning that she had 'caught Malfoy and Potter going at it more than ones'. Though she had never seen anything that had made her believe it was anything more that a bit of house rivalry.

Through all of this, Draco hadn't move ones. While he was listening very intensely, he didn't move a muscle. It was a trick he had learned long ago. After he had understood his father despised any show of emotion. Just breath and don't move, that was his motto whenever his father was railing at him for some perceived slight. That was, if they were in private. Before, Draco had never been able to stay neutral when others were there to see his humiliation. Now though, it wasn't hard at all. He'd been through hell and had survived, what did a little humiliation matter at this point.

Then Harry Bloody Potter was called to the stand and Draco twisted his head to look at him. He hadn't expected the golden Gryffindor to be there, he hadn't been on the list Draco had received the day before. Now Potter was sitting down to give his testimony and Draco didn't have a clue what he was going to say. He could only hope Potter wasn't going to ruin his chance at freedom.

Potter started by telling them how they had met and how he had refused Draco's offer of friendship. How they had gotten into many fights over the years. How in their second year, Potter had heard his father tell Draco that he should be ashamed that Potter was on the Quidditch team while he was not. And worse, that a 'Mud-Blood' had better grades than him. Then he went on how they had fought on the train several years later and how, in their sixth year, Potter had found him crying in the bathroom. Draco wanted to strangle him when he was telling that story. He couldn’t believe Potter would bring that up, not when he had almost died because of the Gryffindor. But then Draco thought about it and realized that the way Potter had portrayed the encounter, leaving out the duel that would have ended with a fatality had Professor Snape not interrupted, would be in his advantage. Potter was actually helping him out. And he was doing a very good job. Unlike all the earlier character witnesses, Potter was actually giving them several examples of Draco's change of heart. He had even told them all how Draco had tried to safe his two best friends from the fiendfyre without regard for his own life. It was an unexpected experience, hearing Potter speak in his favour. Though, when he thought about it more, Draco had to admit that it was even stranger that Neville Longbottom had not announced him to be evil incarnate during his testimony. Potter had always been known to do irrational things if it meant he could safe someone, whether that person deserved to be saved or not.

When they were finished with Potter and dismissed him, he stood up but did not walk away. Instead, he glanced at Draco before he addresses the minister. “I would like to add something, if I may?” Draco blinked at the sudden politeness but Shacklebolt nodded and Potter continued before Draco had a chance to think on it.

“Draco Malfoy was raised from birth to believe he was better than everyone else because he is a Malfoy. He grew up isolated from the muggle world and much of the wizarding world. I doubt he had ever even spoken to a muggle-born witch or wizard before he attended Hogwarts. Then he was sorted into Slytherin house, were these believes are the norm and with a head of house who had to pretend this was all right. Growing up, he believed, as most children do, that his father was the greatest wizard ever and his mother the best witch. Then he moved to Hogwarts were his favourite professor was pretending to be a death eater. Now, this may look like Draco should choose better role models and that may be true, but much of it was pure chance. It was not his choice to have a death eater as a father and it was not his choice that he was sorted into Slytherin. Which is not, and was never, an 'evil' house. Cunning is not an evil trait, ambition is not evil and Parsle-tongue is not an evil language. Truth be told, I would have been in Slytherin had I not met Draco before the sorting.” There was a lot of shocked whispering and Potter paused. As Draco studied him, he realized that the annoying Gryffindor had become a powerful man. He had grown, gained muscle and a bearing that was much more suitable for the head of a family than his usual slouch was. He stood straight, head tilted slightly upwards to look directly at the minister. During his speech he hadn't stuttered or stumbled over his words even ones. It pissed Draco off. He'd had years of training to gain his bearing and learn how to speak to people. And there Potter stood, completely capable and confident with not even a single lesson on wizarding politics and society.

Potter's gaze never wavered from the minister while he waited for everyone to quiet down again. When it did, he continued as if he had never been interrupted. “I choose not to go to Slytherin because of petty childishness, and because I heard the stories about the house. I don't know what would have happened had I not objected, but I do know that it wouldn’t have made me a bad person. A house cannot make a person good or bad. My parents were betrayed by a Gryffindor and my life was saved by a Slytherin, more than ones. Everybody had to make a choice, all we can do is help them make a well informed one. These past years, Slytherin had the unfortunate luck that their head of house had to play the role of death-eater, and therefore could not lead them anywhere. And let's be honest, with the amount of 'house rivalry' has Headmistress Minerva puts it, Malfoy didn't have much choice in friends either. So, unlike most outside of Slytherin house, Malfoy has been surrounded by adults who made the wrong choice or had to pretend they did so, and students who have been surrounded by much of the same. When we consider all of that, it's not strange that Malfoy followed his family and friends. There wasn't a single person in his life to lead him onto the right path. So, instead of looking at all the thing Malfoy did while he was simply following the path expected from him. We should look at what happened when he realized what that path meant. We should judge him by the beliefs he holds now, after he has gone out into the world and seen what believing in blood purity really means. Give him a chance to look beyond the world he grew up in, a chance to grow.”

Potter gave a slight bow and returned to his seat in the stands while Draco was gaping after him. In all the years he had known Potter, he had never heard him speak like that. To Draco, Potter had always seemed like he was just another average student who got by only because of his fame. Now though, Draco could almost imagine that Potter had an actual brain behind all that bravery.

The Wizengamot announced another short recess and Draco was taken out of the room ones more. They brought him to an empty room and told him to wait there. Draco leaned against the wall, unwilling to sit down and put him at an even larger disadvantage if anyone came him. He tried not to think. If he did, he would be going over every single word spoken during the trial. Trying to put meaning into everything and trying to deduce what the verdict would be. Luckily, the recess was short and the Aurors returned long before his mind started to throw all the, possibly horrible, outcomes in his face.

He was led into the room and told to sit in the centre chair once more. Braised for the chains to reappear, Draco was momentarily confused when they didn't. Then his heart lightened just a tat. Surely they would ensure he was chained if they were going to sentence him to life in Azkaban, wouldn't they?

“Draco Lucius Malfoy. You have been accused of willingly aligning with Voldemort, conspiring with death eaters in order to bring about the death of Albus Dumbledore and attacking Harry Potter during The Battle of Hogwarts. You have plead innocent on all accounts. Are you ready to receive and accept your sentence?”

Draco nodded mutely, certain he would not be able to form a coherent vocal response no matter how hard he tried. The head of the department of Magical Law Enforcement, a woman who had been introduced as Amelia Bones at the start of the trial stood up. “After close consideration of all the evidence presented and thorough deliberation, The Wizengamot hereby declare Draco Malfoy to be: Innocent of allying himself with Lord Voldemort. Innocent of attacking Harry Potter during The Battle of Hogwarts. Guilty of conspiring to murder the late Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.”

Draco let out a long breath. He'd been declared innocent on two accounts but guilty on one. He was fairly certain that meant a life sentence was of the table. And since he had been under age when that had happened and he hadn't actually killed the wizard, it was still possible for him to avoid Azkaban. Silently, Draco began to pray to whatever higher being would listen to him. Looking at the minister, he waited to hear what his punishment would be.

The minister moved a few of the papers in front of him before he look at Draco. “I have considered your case and have come to the conclusion that Mr. Potter was right about at least one thing. You should be given a chance to go your own way and prove that you have indeed changed. Therefore, you will be free to go but will be on probation for the following five years. At the end of your probation, we will reconsider your case.”

Draco nodded slowly. Probation, that didn't sound so bad. “What about my schooling? Will I be allowed to return to Hogwarts?” The question was out before he could stop himself. It wasn't that he really wanted to return to the school. If he did, it would probably be a terrible year, surrounded by so many students that would despise him even more than they had before. But he wanted to get his N.E.W.T.s and maybe convince Professor Snape to allow him to become his apprentice. Though, he didn't think there was still much of a chance at that. Not now that he knew that the professor had never really been on the same side as him. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if the professor he had always looked up to even liked him, or if it had all been pretend. He let the thought go, it didn't matter anyway. Draco was not the boy he had been, if the professor had secretly despised him, Draco would just have to show the man that he was a better person now.

“Headmistress McGonagall has already agreed that you are allowed to return to Hogwarts. However, you will be under the direct supervision of a professor of her choice. She asked us to inform you that if you wish go for your N.E.W.T.s, you may contact her and she will come by to discuss your options with you. Have a good life Mr. Malfoy, don't make us regret the chance we gave you today.”

With that, the minister stood up and the trial was over. Draco left the courtroom, a weight that had been there for so long he hadn't even noticed it, lifting of his shoulders. He was free, truly free for the first time in his life. No father who tried to control him, no dark-lord who wanted him to grovel and no lifetime in Azkaban. He smiled to himself and walked straight into a barricade made out of nosy journalist.