Broken

Interrogation

Draco paced around the interrogation room, his hands still bound behind him. A single lightbulb swung from the ceiling. He hated being in this place again.

The steel door opened and Ron stepped inside. He sneered triumphantly at Draco.

'I'm not speaking to anyone without my lawyer present,' Draco snapped. 'I know my rights.'

'Lawyer?' Ron scoffed. 'Who in their right mind would represent you, Malfoy?'

'What are you doing here, Weasel?' He snarled. 'You're not an auror anymore. Get back to your little shop and keep that big nose out of things that don't concern you.'

'Tell me who your lawyer is, maybe I can give them a call for you,' Ron mocked.

'I am.' Hermione stood in the doorway, her face like thunder.

Ron and Draco gaped at her as she swept into the room, ball gown billowing.

'I'd like to speak with my client.' She snapped. 'Alone.'

Draco smirked at Ron as he stomped out, slamming the door behind him.

'Don't insult people, it isn't going to help,' Hermione rolled her eyes.

'Sorry, old habits die hard.'

'Well, that's exactly the problem, isn't it?'

'No-one's going to believe a word I say,' Draco sighed, leaning heavily against the stone wall. 'They never do!'

'You make it sound like this is a regular occurrence,' Hermione laughed. The laughter died as Draco shrugged. 'What?!'

'It's only if I happen to have been in the area around the time of an incident,' he explained, calmly.

'But...but...that's...I'm going to kill them!' Hermione spluttered.

'It's not Saint Potty's fault. I'm not normally important enough for the Head Auror or his little shop-keeper sidekick.'

Hermione continued to stare at him in horror.

'It'll be fine, Granger! They'll keep me here a few days, stomp around trying to prove I'm lying, then they'll let me go, I'll be here a week, tops. D'you think you could owl Pamela for me? That woman is a bloody godsend - anyone else would have fired me years ago.'

'Stop acting like this is...normal!'

'It's my normal,' Draco shrugged. 'I told you, I'm always suspected. It's just the way it is.'

'Unless...' Hermione's eyes lit up.

'Unless what?'

'Oooh, Harry's going to go ballistic!'

'It's not going to get me in more trouble, is it Granger?'

'Nope,' she crowed. 'It's perfectly legal, that's the best part!'

'Spit it out then, I'm getting old here!'

'No-one will believe you unless you insist on giving your statement under veritaserum!'

'...I can do that?!'

'Yup, it was the first change Harry brought in. He didn't want a repeat of what happened to Sirius. How has no-one told you this before?!'

'Weasel is going to lose his shit!'

'I think Sirius would have approved,' Hermione grinned.

*****