the art of french toast

1.

January 13th, 2001

"In your opinion, Ms. Granger, would you say Mr. Malfoy is a good person?" The man who hardly counts as a lawyer asked Hermione, his cold eyes boring into her own, trying to emanate intimidation. She cleared her throat and lifted her chin, letting her gaze wander a little too far to the left.

Malfoy's as deep in his seat as he can go, a stony expression on his face. He hadn't looked up all day, and it was bothering Hermione quite a bit. She was trying to help him, the least he could do is look at her.

Hermione spoke loudly, hoping it would knock some sense into this crock of a lawyer. He doesn't particularly like Malfoy, something he'd let shine despite representing him.

"I'm not sure what you mean sir, I didn't know Mr. Malfoy's character was on trial here?"

"Well, a person's character reflects in their actions, wouldn't you say so, Ms. Granger?" He stepped closer to where Hermione's sitting, stalking like a lion does his prey. Hermione could feel the whole room watching her, the heat of their gazes following her every movement.

"I would not." Murmurs echoed throughout the room, causing Shacklebolt to shout.

"Order! No talking during this proceeding! Please continue, Mr. Olsby." Olsby nodded sharply and resumed his line of questioning. Hermione managed another quick look at Malfoy before his onslaught began. He still hadn't moved.

"Can you explain what you mean by that, Ms. Granger?"

"Certainly. A person's character does not dictate the way they live their life. A horrible human being can conduct acts of service for their community if it fits their agenda. The same thing goes for good people. What does it even mean to have good character? It's the presence of certain traits; loyalty, honesty, and courage, all of which can be found in Mr. Malfoy. The problem arises when his display of good character doesn't align with your political beliefs. Did Mr. Malfoy play for the wrong side of the war? Yes. Does that mean he's a bad person? No." Hermione sat back in her chair as still as a statue.

Everyone in the room was staring at her in shock, but what caught her attention was the pair of steely gray eyes that had finally locked on her from beside Mr. Olsby. Hermione sucked in a sharp breath, feeling a little embarrassed at her outburst. There was no expression on Draco's face, just a vacant stare right through her. Mr. Olsby seemed to recover quickly, pulling out a piece of parchment and handing it over to Shacklebolt.

"Ms. Granger, can you read this statement from one of your classmates at Hogwarts?" Kingsley passed the parchment to her and she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Who gave you this?" She asked.

"Please, Ms. Granger, just read it." Hermione rolled her eyes. There was no signature, but she was sure the witness was McLaggen. That bastard has had it out for her since the Slug Club.

"Throughout my time at Hogwarts, I have witnessed many accounts of bullying from Draco Malfoy to Hermione. She would constantly be harassed by him and his goons, always targeted and called slurs. I heard she even punched him in the nose once. When I heard she was defending him I was surprised; there's no logical reason for her to do such a thing. It's suspicious if you ask me." Hermione scrunched her nose in disgust. Who the hell does this person think they are? They've got no idea what her reasons are, and it's none of their business!

"What do you have to say to that, Ms. Granger?" Olsby asks.

"I say it's a load of bullshite," she answers calmly. A gasp from the older crowd was heard, and once again shock rippled across the room.

"Hermione!" Kingsley breathed in exasperation. She turned her head and grimaced.

"Sorry, Kingsley." He waved her off and scratched his brow as if to say 'I'm too old for this'.