The Slytherin Princess

𝒜𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇𝑔𝓁𝑜𝓌

[ANNABELLE POV]

"Order! Order!", the judge called as people around the court gasped in horror, chatter beginning around me, but I couldn't look up. Couldn't face them all... I didn't want them to see me like this. I wanted to tell them in my own way and this was yet another moment in my life that was being taken away from me...

"Why was this not brought to our attention sooner?", the judge shot angrily.

My lawyer stood then, "We tried to appeal for this reason, judge, and all of our appeals were declined. It was my knowledge that the court already knew this and didn't believe it necessary"

The chatter began again and the judge shouted again, "Order! Order!"

Truthfully I had been okay for the first few weeks and had kept the pregnancy to myself during my legal meetings. But when I started to get morning sickness and began to get very ill, losing weight when should have been putting it on and my skin continued to grow more and more pale, I told my lawyer and he had filed appeals that day and almost every day since I was 6 weeks. I was now 13 weeks along and I hadn't improved and there was only so much they could do in a prison like Azkaban. Healer Emery had been wonderful, but she had very limited resources to help me. 

"Do you have evidence of these appeals?"

"Yes, we do", he said, gathering a stack of papers and handing them off to the guard to pass along.

"All appeals were denied by a Mary-Anne Davis and she was unwilling to pass them to someone else for a second opinion"

I looked up then and spotted Mary-Anne Davis who I knew well from my ice skating days with her daughter Tracey. She had a scowl on her face as she looked down her nose at me from her place with the other Wizengamot court secretaries.

"What is the meaning of this, Ms Davis? Why was I, and the other secretaries, not informed of the 40 appeals here stating Ms Malfoy's current and declining health status", I judge growled.

"Sir, I thought that as this is a crime with a heavy degree of public opinion, that a proper trial was necessary and I surmised that she would receive adequate care in holding", she said in feigned innocence.

"Bullshit", Draco shot, making everyone turn to him in shock.

"Mr Malfoy, watch your language in my court room", the judge said sternly.

"If anyone here happened to know anything about Annabelle, they would know she is an award winning figure skater and competed against Mary-Anne Davis' daughter, Tracy Davis for a number of years and Tracey always lost to her.
Tracey and Annabelle hated each other! 
And Tracey only hated her more after her transfer to Hogwarts. Everyone sitting here with me can attest to that fact", he shot as our friends around him nodded, "Mary-Anne would have declined the appeals because her daughter was never good enough to beat Annabelle. Some justice system we have"

"Is this true, Ms Davis?", the judge shot out.

"Well... I-", she began but before he could finish the judge turned to the audience.

"Can anyone here confirm Mr Malfoy's claims?"

"I can", "Yes", "I can confirm", "It is true", my friends all began saying and standing up, along with Uncle Remus, Snape, McGonagall and several other professors that had seen our quarrels in school.

The judge looked furious before looking down at me.

"Ms Malfoy, I apologise that this has been overlooked and that your health has been put at risk because of a conflict of interest.
In any case, Healer Augustine was our last witness and I have come to a verdict", he said before looking to the secretaries, "Have you all decided your verdicts?"