𝗨𝗡𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗗 ━ Golden Trio Era

━chapter 7

Chapter 7
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"YOU SAY THAT MATRON HALLEWELL'S PUNISHMENTS WERE BRUTAL..."

The defence lawyer was questioning her relentlessly. First, asking her questions that were simple repeats of what he had asked Yaritza, Rosin and Jakob. Following then with much more detailed and personal questions that were making her uncle interject after each one.

And now...

"...perhaps you were simply exaggerating?"

And now, he was trying gaslighting tactics. Adhara wanted to roll her eyes.

"After all, children tend to..."

Adhara zoned him out, preferring to look at the members of the audience. She recognized a fair few faces. Flint was among them, looking constipated in his tight plum robes. They made eye contact, but the latter quickly looked away. Adhara simply moved on. She recognized Greengrass and Parkinson's fathers, a man who bore resemblance to Yaritza — and Adhara kept her eyes on him for quite a bit — and then Lord Rosier, who she had watched abandon Thomas for a better model.

Adhara hands curled into fists.

"...I mean, simply adding coils to a furnace is barely considered a punishment."

"Would you like to see my burn marks?"

Adhara's voice rang loudly throughout the room. She looked directly into the lawyer's eyes.

"What?"

They hadn't asked to, not to any of them. Each of them had their talk with Madam Bones, and they were also asked to describe the injuries in detail in front of the Wizengamot. But no one has asked to actually see them.

Perhaps because they weren't allowed to ask. After all, asking four traumatised kids to reveal their scars to a group of strangers was a massive overstep of boundaries. But if they volunteered that information themselves...

Adhara was already undoing her bandages, without waiting for an answer. But then someone's hand grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"Adhara."

Her uncle was next to her, suddenly. She turned, looking at him directly.

"You don't have to do that."

There it was again. That guilt, that worry, that care that overwhelmed her, that made her skin prickle. Adhara looked away.

"I don't want you to have to do this."

Someone was talking, telling Sirius to return to his seat. But the man didn't move.

"I decided to testify. I'm deciding to show them, this isn't on you."

Adhara averted his gaze. She didn't want to see that concern in his eyes again. Carefully, she unwrapped the bandages around her right hand, feeling the weight of everyone's gaze on her. Sirius didn't leave her side, once.

"Lord Black," started the Minister, "we can have you pressuring the witness—"

"Sod off."

"Excuse me?"

When one hand was finally out in the open, Adhara heard gasps. She didn't let the reactions stop her, moving on to her other hand. Though, she did wonder what Flint was thinking at the moment.

Adhara outstretched both her hands in front of the Wizengamot, looking at the defence lawyer.

"Does this seem to be an exaggeration, sir?"