The Serpent and the Lioness

Chapter 40

"Is the wand that was taken from you—upon your arrest—the only wand in your possession?"

"Yes, the other one that I had was destroyed during the final battle." Her tone was a bit sharper than it should have been in the circumstances but she couldn't help herself.

All this over a wand? Her eyes turned over the 30 something faces that looked down upon her. Faces from all over the world looked down upon her. It became clear that whatever the true nature for her arrest, it had garnered international attention. Their faces were all set to stone and none of them appeared to be on her side. There was no way this was just about a wand. Her arms twitched in their bindings wanting to cover the dull pulsing ache growing in her stomach.

"We are quite aware of your past deeds Ms. Granger." It was a warning to which she took rather heavily. "How did you come to possess a wand such as this?"

"It was given to me." Her lips pursed, eyes darting to the sides as hushed murmurs filled the rows.

"Who gave you this wand Ms. Granger?"

"Mr. Olivander."

"Did you purchase this wand at his shop?"

"No...he brought it to me."

"Did you specifically request a wand of this design?"

"No."

"Why would he have brought you this wand?"

"I don't know...It wasn't the only wand he brought, it was just the only one that worked for me..." Another chorus of hushed whispers filled the room and Hermione couldn't help as if she'd said too much. She resisted the urge to sink back into the chair, her eyes turning back to Frollo when he banged the gavel for silence.

"Are you aware of the history surrounding the core of this wand?"

"Not... completely, sir."

Frollo's lip twitched and he looked down at his papers shuffling a few before running his finger down the one he'd placed on top.

"A full examination of this wand has revealed a variety of spells that have been traced back to incidents involving muggles. What do you have to say to this?"

"It...was self-defense."

"Self-defense... against muggles?"

"Why did you not contact the proper authorities?" Another voice came from her left and she turned her head slightly.

"I...I was..." Hermione winced and lowered her head, "I was on the run, from... someone..."

"Do you care to elaborate or do we need to call the truth seeker?"

Hermione shook her head vehemently swallowing down her fear, "I was running from Harry Potter."

"The Auror? To what end?"

"I was looking for someone, he didn't want me to find..."

Hermione clenched her teeth. She had already said more than she had wanted to.

"Would this someone have been Fenrir Greyback?"