Dead Girl Walking (Draco x Astoria)

Chapter 33 - The Trial Part 3

The bailiff entered and stood in front of the crowd. "The honourable Judge Mayfair will now make her decision, and you will be called back when she is ready. All rise now." Everybody stood as Judge Mayfair walked and exited into a back room.

"Let's go get you a tea." Marcus said, and she nodded. He stood and waited for her, but Astoria's legs couldn't help but shake and wobble. She used her chair as support to stand, and took a small step. She noticed Draco to her right, standing up to immediately help her by the elbow. She was grateful, placing her hand on his shoulder as she walked out with him, ignoring everybody's stares. He thankfully lead her outside in the small court gardens, where barely anybody was. Astoria was grateful the crowd was ordered to stay inside, and weren't allowed out.

They both sat down on a wooden bench on opposite ends.

"That lawyer is atrocious." Draco broke the silence.

Astoria looked down at her navy blue heels in the gravel. "I don't even know what to think. I can't believe we're here. It could be ages until she decides, you know."

"She can take all the time she needs. Mayfair will pick the right decision. She's gotten the evidence, and heard your full account."

Astoria nodded, sitting back into the bench.

"I knew about the marriage but I didn't think they would bring it up. They're really mentioning everything they can, aren't they?" Astoria said, almost to herself.

"Did you really say that to them, the night you left home?"

Astoria turned her head to face him finally, and nodded. "Sorry. They never thought I was serious in leaving when I did." She paused. "Now we're here, in a trial." She finished quietly.

He shook his head, "No, don't apologise."

They were in silence for a while, just patiently waiting to be called in- and when they heard hurried footsteps on the gravel and looked, they saw Marcus, waving for them to come inside. They both immediately stood up, and Astoria lost her footing. She fell forward to Draco but he caught her, a hand on her back.

"Sorry," she muttered, fixing her heel and trying to move, but he pulled her in just a bit close.

"Am I really a man?" He asked quietly in a low voice, with a faint smile. She tried to suppress her smile back. She became comfortable in his arms, her hands on his chest as she looked up at him, and him down at her.

"Yes."

No time had seemed better before for a second kiss until now- and she couldn't have been more happier for it to happen at this moment, until, they were interrupted by a click sound.

Their heads immediately turned to where it was and a floating camera was there, fixed in the bushes. The pair immediately separated from each other- she took his arm immediately as they walked back inside the courthouse to the courtroom, taking their places.

The bailiff had ordered all members who were not in the crowd to rise. She didn't look at her family and their lawyer, and only looked hopefully at the judge who entered and sat at her desk.

She cleared her throat.

Astoria had been told that judges went straight to the point, no long speech- just a verdict. She didn't believe Marcus when he told her.

"With the charges of four counts of abuse, domestic violence, and negligence on Daphne, Mary, and Ashton Greengrass- the jury find you guilty of all charges."

Quiet shock. "You will be sentenced to Azkaban prison where you will serve your time. In the case of custody for Cyrus Greengrass, he will be under Miss Astoria's care."

Hundreds of camera clicks instantly boomed, people standing, cheering or booing, and talking loudly amongst themselves. Marcus immediately went out to shake Astoria's hand, but she rejected and hugged him instead, so tightly, and he couldn't refuse to hug her back. They let go and she had felt numerous pats on her back from her friends. And when she turned she immediately met with Draco, hugging him over the wooden pew with the most amount of joy she had ever felt.

"We can go out for some victory food now, right?" Blaise asked, putting a hand on Astoria and Draco's shoulder when they let go.

"Yes Blaise, yes," Astoria nodded, starting to tear. She made her way out the small door to enter the first row with them, and immediately she embraced Ella.

She saw Draco shaking hands with his friends as they exchanged many words. Everything was happening so fast- that she hadn't even looked back to her family. But that was just it- she was looking at her family. They were right in front of her.

"Astoria Greengrass, you have no idea how proud I feel. I have always had the utmost confidence in you," Ella whispered in her hair. Astoria hugged tighter, hearing the crowd become louder, and the camera clicks faster. She let go, Marcus informing her that they had to leave before it got restless and overcrowded with people.

Astoria took Draco's hand as he stood in front of her, as means to shield her from everyone. Before she left, she took one last look over her shoulder- he father was already being taken away, her mother, deeply frowning at her with anguish, and her sister, Daphne, was the last person she looked at before she turned away and kept walking- and everything wasn't slow-motion anymore.

If Astoria thought there were enough camera's inside the court, there were hundreds more outside, with people lined down the streets waiting to catch a glimpse of her and the case party.

She held onto Draco's arm tighter as Marcus Groub and some guards led them through the crowd to their black car. A few more metres until they arrived, a reporter had desperately called out a question at Draco, eager for an answer.

"Are you and Miss Greengrass together!" Microphones shoved in their faces, they became separated from Marcus and engulfed around the reporters.

"If she'll have me." He replied, barely making eye contact with the reporter as he was unsure which one had asked. Astoria scoffed quietly to herself, holding his arm tighter as he started to walk through the crowd and make a path, finally catching up with Marcus who held the door open. He closed it behind them and went his seperate way to his own vehicle.

They both sighed of relief as they entered and sat in the back of the car. Blaise was by the right window, and Astoria sat in the middle next to Draco. Ella and Theo were both in the back, as there were two more seats for them there.

"There's no driver still?" Blaise asked.

"Blaise, I told you already. It's a magic car." Theo informed.

He shrugged, looking out the window. "Gosh, they're animals!" He leaned back as people started banging on the window, clicking their cameras.

Theo ordered the car to drive back to Malfoy manor for now. As the car started slowly moving, Astoria looked at Draco, holding his hand gently. They didn't say anything else, and only glanced at each other from time to time in each other's comfort.