The Scent Of Malice | drarry

forty seven | redemption

"In Mr. Malfoy's blood sample we found about 750 milligrams of MDMA," said Dr. Wolfung, and Harry's heart soared with joy. He'd never been so happy to hear that Draco was out of his mind before.

"This is more than 4 times the average ecstasy dose; more than the amount of ecstasy needed to knock out any normal person," the doctor continued. "The sheer volume of the drug in his bloodstream means that Mr. Malfoy couldn't possibly have been of medically sound mind at the time of his Marking, or in the significant lead up to the event."

"Thank you, Dr. Wolfung," the Judge nodded as the researcher stepped back down from the stand. "Would the defence like to summarise this piece of evidence?"

Mallory stepped up gladly, and his demeanour remained cool, composed.

"My client has a drug problem, there's no denying that," he began. "But all too often we forget that addiction is a disease, and we instead perceive the sufferers as evil, or weak, or wilful. Why not instead let this fact humanise Draco? He stands before you, a boy with a confirmed medical addiction, which his own parents used against him for their selfish Death Eater agenda. He was coerced and manipulated into something he didn't believe in at seventeen years old - I request that the Jury ask themselves, what choice did this boy have?"

The lawyer let the question hang in the air for a second, glancing around the silent courtroom.

"Dr. Wolfung has confirmed there was enough ecstasy evident in Draco's bloodstream at the time of marking to knock out an average man. If you think that he could have been under the influence of that much ecstasy and still able to consent to the Marking, let alone rationally request it, you are mistaken in the eyes of the law."

Another pause as the words sank in. Mallory took a sip from his water bottle to soothe his throat; his hands were calm and steady.

"If Draco Malfoy is a Death Eater," he continued, "The question also remains as to why he would sabotage his own side in throwing Mr. Potter his wand at the end of the battle."

Draco shifted uncomfortably in his seat and Harry had to physically stop himself from putting a gentle hand on his knee. He couldn't imagine how stressful it was for the other boy to have his reputation debated in such a way, his Malfoy pride torn apart in front of an audience.

"My client didn't have to do what he did on that day," said Mallory, "And he risked his own life in the process. But in this brave and entirely selfless act, he single-handedly gave Mr. Potter the power to end the war and destroy Voldemort, saving hundreds, if not thousands, of lives. If it wasn't for Draco Malfoy, the world would be very different outside court today."

He pulled out a report from his briefcase, and smoothed it flat on the stand. "We also had a report drawn on the spells performed by my client's wand in the past six months - you'll see there are zero instances of Unforgivable Curses on the list, and nothing stronger than a Stupefy on the day of the battle. And, interestingly-"

He pointed to the final spell on the list. "There is evidence that it changed hands to perform the Expelliarmus spell that ended the battle. This proves it was thrown to Mr. Potter."

"Objection!" the prosecution lawyer whined. "This proves nothing of the sort - Mr. Potter could have wrestled the wand from your client against his will! There is no evidence whatsoever that it was deliberately thrown-"

"He did. I saw it." A little voice piped up from the back of the courtroom. Ginny Weasley was on her feet, as pale as Harry had ever seen her, but with a fire blazing in her eyes. "I saw him throw it."

"Silence in court!" frowned the judge, but Ginny was joined by another redhead at her side - "I saw him throw it too," said Ron.

"I saw him throw it," added Hermione in a clear, confident tone.