Venom & Virtue

chapter 68

DAILY PROPHET

SUNDAY MARCH 28TH
________________________

MALFOY HEIR
WALKS FREE
AFTER 8 HOUR TRIAL

All the courtroom seats were occupied yesterday morning as wizards and witches gathered, eager to watch the Ministry's trial against Draco Malfoy, nephew of The Pura's ringleader, Bellatrix Lestrange.

The defendant was notably joined by his mother, the widow Narcissa Malfoy, as well as his sister, Violetta Malfoy, both of whom hadn't been seen in public for over a month.

But most surprising of all, Malfoy was accompanied by a third witch, later revealed to be his girlfriend, Seraphina Hendrix, who took the stand to act as a character witness.

The young woman wasn't the only witness to testify in defence of Mr Malfoy, other allies included school peers Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, Tom Riddle, Pansy Parkinson, Luna Lovegood and Harry Potter.

In an unprecedented turn of events, Hogwarts' headmaster Albus Dumbledore, and potions professor Severus Snape, also both vouched for Mr Malfoy's character.

It is thought that the strong testimonies provided by the defendant's flurry of allies, led to the dismissal of harsher punishments, particularly once it was revealed that the young wizard had been abused and threatened by the late Lucius Malfoy.

Despite the Wizengamot's confidence at the start of the day, it was obvious by the end that their proposed characterisation of Draco Malfoy was significantly incorrect.

The most shocking moment of all came at 1pm, when the remaining ten members of The Pura took to the stand.

Their eyewitness testimonies verified that the defendant had actually turned his wand upon Lestrange, placing himself in the firing line of a killing curse.

When questioned about his motives for such actions, Malfoy stated that he "acted purely in defence of [his] girlfriend", after the infamous blood status test revealed Miss Hendrix to be a muggle-born witch.

The blatant display of selflessness certainly stirred something in Minister Shacklebolt, as he ended the trial by sentencing Mr Malfoy to 12 months of community service; assisting the staff in St Mungo's to deliver care to their patients.

When asked for comment on her boyfriend's generous sentence, Miss Hendrix stated that his case was "an important lesson in the blurred line between good and bad", and that "there is always more to the story than people assume."

***

Albus Dumbledore died three weeks later.

The official reason given in the newspapers was death by natural causes.

Despite Draco's newly acquired sympathy, the truth of the matter remained; no one wanted to know that the beloved headmaster had sacrificed his life for the victim of such evil relations.

A public funeral had been held in the school grounds, his body encased in a white marble tomb on the centre island of the lake.

We'd chosen not to attend the event, aware that Draco's presence wouldn't be well received.

Instead, we visited a week later, offering our respects at the graveside; an elaborate wreath of flowers from the siblings, and a letter of gratitude from me.