Into The Light (Golden Trio Era) {2}

Taking the Stand

The last piece of evidence played was Fergal's interview with the prophet...

"My legal team has informed me that my daughter Avery and ex-step-daughter will be testifying against me, they informed me that the girls will be showing the court their memories instead of speaking. I never realised I raised such cowards. I know that my daughter is just following the lead of Mikayla Black and I'm sure that Avery was forced by that muggle-loving Dumbledore to testify against me. I hope that Avery comes to her senses and fights on the right side of the war that is coming. As for Mikayla, I know that she'll do anything to protect her friends like her dead blood-traitor mother and father, not that it saved them and I can only hope that she falls to the same faith, and I can only dream that it'll be under my hand." Another man's voice comes through the tape recording, "Fergal didn't mean what he said, I mean he's not threatening Miss Black. What he meant wa-" Fergal interrupted his lawyer that was trying to help his case, "I meant every word I said! I'm going to kill her, I'm going to torture her and watch her plead for her life and then I will murder her. The filthy muggle and creature-loving blood-traitor! I'LL KILL HER WITH MY BARE HANDS!" There was a sound of a chair falling to the ground, "this interview is over." The lawyer's voice sounds before a bang of a door.

"Does the defendant have any witness to call on or evidence to submit?" Dumbledore asked in a calm voice, Mikayla choked on her breath a little when Fergal whispered something to his lawyer whilst looking towards her and Avery. "We'd like to call Miss Mikayla Alina Black and Miss Avery Imelda O'Brien to the stand." Mikayla's heart plummets at the lawyer's words, "who do you want to speak to first, Miss Black or Miss O'Brien?" Dumbledore questioned as Mikayla and Avery share a worried glance and a comforting squeeze of a hand. "Miss O'Brien." echoed through the square room, Mikayla rested her forehead on Avery's, "remember, you're stronger than he's led you to believe." Avery nodded before she confidently stood up, and made her way to the witness stand. Mikayla's knee was bouncing anxiously as she watch her sister take her seat and stare Fergal dead in the eye with nothing but hatred swimming in her brown orbs.

"Miss O'Brien, can I call you Avery?" the lawyer questions, Avery raised her eyebrow at him, "no you may not." The lawyer didn't take her rejection very well, Mikayla sent her sister a pair of thumbs up whilst watching the lawyer trying decide where he's going. "How long have you known that Miss Black is not your sister?" "Mikayla is my sister, blood or not." Avery snapped making Mikayla smile at her with pride, "how long have you know that she wasn't your biological sister?" the lawyer rephrased the question, "on Mikayla's fourteenth birthday, but I don't understand why this information is relevant to the trial." Avery answered, folding her arms across her chest looking at the lawyer, "did you know Mikayla knew months that you weren't blood-related siblings months before Mr O'Brien broke the news to you?" Avery smirked at the lawyer knowing what his strategy was, "yes I did know because Mikayla admitted it to me last summer, she told me how Fergal had told her to keep the secret for my sake, since I was devastated by the death of our mother." "the death of Mikayla's mother and your step-mother." The lawyer attempted to correct Avery, "the death of My mother," Avery repeated.

The lawyer then realised he wasn't going to turn Avery against Mikayla. "Why is it that it took you until you were nine years old to stand up to your dad about his treatment of Miss Black?" It was clear he had struck a cord with Avery, she searched the crowd for Mikayla, once they made eye contact Mikayla smiled and nodded to give Avery some reassurance. "Because he was my father and when you're a little kid you don't question your parents. I was a small girl and he was a big, strong, angry man and I was afraid that he would turn on me. But hearing Mikayla's screams from him torturing her was too much for me to cower from, if I didn't do something I'm sure he would've driven her out of her mind or killed her. I would do anything to save Mikayla from him, even if he turns on me." Mikayla didn't realise that a tear had escaped her eye until Fred wiped it, she was too busy smiling at Avery's confession. "That's all my questions for you Miss O'Brien." the lawyer admits, Avery got permission to leave the stand, "Miss Black, please take the stand." Mikayla gave Avery a hug before making her way to the witness stand.

"Miss Black, what happened to your arm?" He gestured to Mikayla's sling, "I lost control of my broom and broke my collarbone." The lawyer nodded, "so would you say that you put yourself in harms way often?" "Not purposely no." The lawyer nodded again, "Miss Black how many times have you been injured flying? Including when you play Quidditch," "I don't know, I haven't counted." He smiles looking at the blonde, "if you were to hazard a guess?" "I don't know like 3 times?" "It's actually six. The first being petrification." Mikayla scoffed, "I was petrified from a basilisk whilst in the library making me miss my quidditch matches, so that one doesn't count, as I wasn't flying." The lawyer took Mikayla's argument into stride, "yet you still fly after breaking so many bones." Mikayla nodded, "well I've been through a lot worse than some broken bones during Quidditch." The lawyer knew the conversation was going to turn on his client, Fergal, so he changed the subject. "Miss Black you are an Aevus Seer correct?" Mikayla nodded at the lawyer's question as she watched him walk around in front her, casually pacing, "is it true that you haven't signed the Proclamation of Aevus?" Mikayla rolled her eyes, "yes that's true." Mikayla was giving short and simple answers, "why is that Miss Black?" Mikayla smiled looking at the lawyer, "because I am not seventeen, legally I can't sign it without a close blood relative present but I haven't gotten any of those left have I?" By the smirk on the lawyer's face, Mikayla felt like she just walked into a trap, "yes but didn't the ex-Minister Fudge approach you asking you to sign it?" "Yes but I refused." "What's the real reason you said no to Fudge? We all know it wasn't of your age." Mikayla sighed trying to decide how to say the truth, "because Mr. Fudge had spent the year calling me an attention-seeking liar for telling people that Lord Voldemort had returned." There was a negative reaction to Mikayla saying Voldemort's name from most of the court. "YOU DARE SPEAK HIS NAME!" Fergal went to jump towards the blonde but thankfully he was chained to the chair. "YOU FILTHY BLOOD-TRAITOR!" Fergal yelled from the chair whilst his lawyer looked defeated by his clients reaction, "WHEN I GET OUT I'M GOING TO KILL YOU." Mikayla tried to hide her smile as she watch the Jury make their decision of Fergal's future. "you dare to say You-Know-Who's name?" The lawyer asked Mikayla once the court had quietened down from Fergal's threat. "Yes, I always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name only increases your fear of the thing itself." Mikayla spoke clearly and proudly, "that is all Miss Black." the lawyer groaned knowing that there's nothing he can do to save Fergal's ass.