Bride of the HP Dragon

The Wizengamot was drunk, at least half of the young men were.The older ('older' usually meaning a hundred or more) walks with palpable vigor, and the fuchsia hat is held at a confident angle.

Zacharias Smith was an exception to the frenzy, but only because his job as court clerk was especially demanding, keeping everything on record.He could put a lot of stuff in his job description, and the previous year they had considered experimenting with a "shorthand quill" (translator's note: used by Rita Skeeter), but it didn't go well because the feather The pen tends to embellish with very emotive phrasing.

The day after Bellatrix's arrest, a large group of retired senior Ministry of Magic officials showed up.Those whose labor contracts have expired are obviously in a happy mood, or to be precise, overly happy.If color were to be used to describe the atmosphere of the Ministry at this time, it would be a warm and fragrant yellow, after all these years of tense and fragile reds.

A fresh breeze of hope blew through the Ministry, blowing the Dark Lord's skirts.

Harry emerged from courtroom number eight, where a hearing panel meeting was taking place, and sat down again on a bench outside, with Draco beside him. It had been a long morning.

"They've just read page No. 90 of your statement," Harry said accusingly.

Draco replied inexplicably, and returned to the Daily Prophet he was reading, paying special attention to the current events since his return.

"I guess there's so much to ask about, you should give them a shortened version?"

"That's already a shortened version." Draco replied without looking up.

There was a brief silence as Harry stared down at Draco's black lace-up shoes, Harry's shoes (admittedly cheap), and the dark gray Muggle suit Draco was wearing that morning. , and he had no trouble using those ironing spells.The fact that even cheap Miko material looked haute couture on Draco's slender frame was slightly off-putting.

Instead of being unkempt and disrespectful in front of the Wizengamot, Draco just seemed calm and at ease.It wasn't like Harry tossing and turning in bed so sleepless that Ginny kicked him out of the bedroom so she could catch up on sleep before going to work that morning.

A distraught Harry wandered into the dining room, quickly flipping through Draco's 170-page statement again, as if the secret to restful sleep lay within the pages.

It feels at odds that such a harrowing ordeal should be written in such a precise, concise and undoubtedly neat handwriting.It was like listening to Tchaikovsky and watching someone get robbed.

Draco didn't seem at all concerned that the Committee would consider his activities over the past five years suspicious enough to warrant further investigation, or temporary detention in Azkaban.

It had been six weeks since he'd been back, and the Ministry of Magic investigators had handed in their papers as to whether Draco's lengthy explanations were true or made up.

The statement contained some moving events, and Harry was amazed that Draco's hellish experience hadn't left an indelible mark on him.Perhaps the traces were there, but the difficult journey had allowed Draco to hide them better.Merlin knew he'd never been an accessible book, and Hermione certainly had seen him as an interesting read.

It took a bit of willpower for Harry to be able to meet Draco's eyes again without showing much emotion.It wasn't pity or worry or respect or awe that Harry felt most strongly, although he did feel those emotions.

But the strongest of all is jealousy.

Jealousy that Draco could do what Harry himself couldn't - leave behind loved ones and go on a mission of his own, risking only his own life - was a constant, dormant temptation.

Harry understood all about the destructive desire based on revenge, and knew very well that even though it caused pain, the Great Good demanded that he do his part.But of late, Dae-sun has begun to look a little faltering and complacent.

Just because Voldemort seems low-key doesn't mean everyone can wipe the sweat off their brows and start living as if the misfortune never happened.They had already made this mistake the last time Voldemort disappeared.

But that's the difference between the two of them, isn't it?Draco lives according to his heart, while Harry lives according to other people's expectations.Harry should have applauded the other man's courage, but the truth was that Draco's actions had directly caused Hermione's heartbreak.

Selfish or altruistic, maybe that's what the committee should decide.

After a while, the door of the room opened slowly. Behind the door stood Zacharias, who was stained with ink, rubbing his cramp right hand.

"Okay, you can come back now."

Harry and Draco stood up.

"It's Malfoy this time," Zacharias looked at Harry cautiously, "They're going to make a verdict."

Harry sat back and wordlessly picked up the newspaper that Draco had neatly folded and handed him.

Draco didn't care much about his former Headmaster's nosy tone, which looked very un-Dumbledore, but he guessed that Dumbledore needed to fulfill his role on the committee.

"The long, drawn-out, and ultimately successful ill-conceived revenge, yes."

Another interrogator, a middle-aged woman with gray hair who looked like Terry Boot, went on to say: "That's not an easy read, Mr. Malfoy," she said solemnly, "what you have endured..." She waved at the copy of the report in front of her: "... the near death of starvation, death of disease, those who were in the worse environment time passed. I dare say your peculiar upbringing hardly prepared you for these encounters, and you also captured Bellatrix Lestrange and brought her back to accept Legal sanction for plotting to murder your mother?"

Draco's jaw clenched a bit, but his eyes were extremely calm: "Hunger is the most tempering person." He said softly.

Horatio Coon, sitting in the top seat of interrogators, issued a Impatient voices, most of the time he was unexpectedly silent: "This is no joke!" he warned.

Draco was pleased to note that the recently promoted Kuhn had opted for a soft blond lock of dazzling gold and was no longer bald.Really, the man could afford better, and the wig was so out of step with the Wizengamot's standard purple hat.

"It's not a joke to eat beetles, I promise!" Draco replied, missing the slightly upward curve of Dumbledore's mouth.

"Have you any news of your father's whereabouts, Lucius Malfoy or Gregory Alexander Goyle?" Dumbledore was next to ask.

That's it, Draco guessed that's why they had a hearing instead of an investigation to clear him.Ginny Weasley was right, and in the six weeks since his return, Draco suspected that if it wasn't for Potter, he might have been forced to confess.

"No."

"You escaped the monitoring of the Ministry of Magic for five years. During this time, you want us to think that you didn't try to contact your father who also happened to be missing?" Kuhn asked.

"Yes, in fact, it is."

Cohn snorted contemptuously, looking eerily like Umbridge: "Frankly, I think you're farfetched, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco nodded sympathetically, "I feel the same way about your hair, Mr. Kuhn."

Zechariah Smith hurriedly suppressed his burst of laughter, unexpectedly coughed, but the sound had already filled the entire large room, but as a clerk, his quill never stopped.

When Kuhn looked down at him, there were whispers around him, his face was the same as the clothes on his body.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, and the whispering stopped.Draco couldn't make out his expression, but he thought Dumbledore looked "happy"

"We made our verdict an hour ago." He spoke as if they were just the two of them in Dumbledore's Hogwarts office.

Oh, and that explains why Kuhn looks like a bee in a hat right now.

"Following the presentation of the Chief Investigator's report this week and after intense discussions, the Board of Review finds you absolutely innocent in relation to the still-at-large issue of your father Lucius Malfoy and the disappearance of Gregory Goyle."

Draco sighed, it had taken too long.

Dumbledore smiled, "Welcome home, Draco."

"You did a great job of avoiding Malfoy."

"Thanks," Hermione had to say loudly to let her voice drown out the wind, "I tried my best."

Ginny sighed, but only because Hermione wouldn't hear.They were standing outside the main gate of Azkaban, stepping out from the safety of the flyo point, which was already in danger of collapsing.

Several black shadows came out of the guard room, like crows caught by a whirlwind, swirling in the wind.Fortunately, she chose to wear trousers and a thick coat instead of her usual work robes, which were useless in the severe cold and strong winds in the northeast along the coast.

The accompanying young guard was turning a large key at the wide gate, his free hand busy covering his hair.

"Well, the status quo can't go on in a vague way," Ginny added. "Also, I think he's starting to be interested in Harry."

"What, are you talking about mold?"

Hermione missed the happy look on Ginny's face when the door of Azkaban opened with the wind blowing.The extremely calm and humid air welcomed the two women, but it was no warmer inside than outside, and of course it was much darker, even though there were torches on the wall every three meters, Hermione wrapped her pea blue coat tightly .

She regretted not bringing a thicker scarf, her own was very pretty, but the product of Molly Weasley's inexhaustible knitting closet was better against the cold.The cold wind outside continued to howl, and it sounded very hopeless and lonely.

Another guard came over, and he gave Hermione a big and friendly smile: "Miss Granger, you're back already? Of course we don't mind, after all, there aren't many visitors right now."

"How do you do, Horace, how is your leg?"

"It's better, thank you for your concern." The guard turned to Ginny, looking less enthusiastic: "Can you please register?" He pointed to a huge registration book with corners folded floating in the corner.

A jittery-looking quill is tethered to a notebook, and occasionally manages to escape.Ginny went over to check in, and got a yellow visitor's pass.

"So you're all right?" Horace asked Hermione.

"We'll be fine. I'll take her there myself."

"I get it, I'm still not welcome," Ginny commented after Horace left to return to his post.

"They do that to all lawyers," Hermione told Ginny: "The fact that you're the Minister's daughter and you happen to be defending Snape doesn't help that."

The two women walked towards the elevator, Hermione pressed the button, and a loud metallic noise began.

"Is it true that I defended Snape or did I defend him well?"

"Oh? So the appeal went well?" Hermione asked.

Ginny's usual thick lips pursed coldly: "It's hard, but any reprieve from life imprisonment is a good thing."

Hermione agreed: "I spoke to your father about it, but he said he trusted the process."

"Unfortunately, the truth is that we only managed to catch Zabini because Snape let Lucius go so easily."

Ginny said, "And the Ministry of Magic made it small because they thought Lucius Malfoy was more evil than Blaise Zabini."

Hermione thought of the last time she'd seen him in his study at Malfoy Manor: imposing, menacing, seemingly obstinate as he tortured Draco: "I agree, too," she said softly.

It's hard to reconcile with the impression that Lucius risked his life to save Draco from his Welsh conscription stronghold.When you consider that Lucius is wanted by both camps, the evil side wants to kill him, and the righteous side wants to capture him alive, you know this is a bold and brave rescue operation.

"So you plan to evade Malfoy indefinitely?"

Hermione shrugged, and she pressed the button again until the elevator seemed to move: "Once the committee clears him, he'll be back at Malfoy Manor, which is pretty quick, and I guess he'll be busy re- Know his home and his money."

"You really believe he just came back to see his estate and inheritance?" Ginny asked curiously.

"His family fortune and status have always been vital to him and he has been sober."

"What about revenge?" Ginny snapped. "It wouldn't be selfish to spend all of your time and experience chasing down the man who killed his mother."

Hermione raised an eyebrow: "Isn't it?"

"I'm going to say I think he has other things to focus on than redecorating the house and counting piles of money, and I find it hard to believe you don't have feelings for him."

"It was a long time ago, when I was young." Hermione reminded Ginny with a frown, and pressed the button again, this time with more force.

"So instead you're very old now, twenty-three-year-old woman?" Ginny replied dryly.

The elevator is coming.

Hermione smiled happily at her friend as they walked into the elevator: "I was young, you remember when we were young, don't you?"

Ginny chuckled, "I vaguely remember it."

"I made a mistake, God knows he tried his best to tell me to leave, and I didn't take his hints, did I? Why are you suddenly so determined to defend him? You wouldn't have had a good word for him a few years ago. Still Did Harry know that the two of you had a haircut talk last night?" Hermione asked, pushing a lock of brown hair behind her ear.

"Gee, I've never had a good word for Draco Malfoy," Ginny replied calmly. "I didn't ask you to forgive him either, but it's just that you haven't met him, Hermione. He's... well I know it sounds cliché but he changed, suffering can change a person."

They reached the fourth floor, where the dial in the elevator read "Maximum Alert."Hermione stretched out her palm and led Ginny to go out first: "If he suffered, it was his own choice. I didn't let him leave, Ginny. Remember this, he has already missed the opportunity."

"Maybe he had no choice? We were all just kids, really. It was a bad choice, but sometimes we have to rely on our limited knowledge of things to make choices. And somehow, I don't Think Malfoy experienced someone who cared about his feelings unconditionally. On the last day of school everyone put their lives on the line, I mean, you died, Hermione. Ron said Harry almost took Zabini's head Unscrew it."

"You don't leave the people you love," said Hermione when they were halfway down the corridor. "It's a simple truth you can understand, and Harry understands it too."

Ginny's expression was somewhat sad: "Sometimes I suspect..."

Hermione turned and looked at Ginny in disbelief: "Harry will never leave you!"

"But it's not that he doesn't want to, I can tell you that!" Ginny also seemed surprised by her fierce tone.

"Harry has some silly little ideas," Hermione agreed sympathetically, "but first of all, Harry is reliable."

They came to another set of gates, flanked by a young female guard sitting behind a small table.She was dozing off, but she rose to attention quickly as they approached.

Ginny and Hermione silently handed over their wands and any restricted magical items they had with them.For Ginny, it was a weather chart that Bill gave her for her 20th birthday.

Hermione took a blank rolled-up parchment from the inside of her coat and showed it to the guard.

"I have to take this with me."

The guard nodded, having been informed of the item: "You have twenty minutes to meet with Snape today," she told Ginny.

"I want to stay with my client as long as I want, thank you very much." Ginny retorted, very annoyed.

The young woman shook her head: "Two ten minutes, Miss Weasley, because he will be questioned by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at 10:10."

"About what?" Hermione asked, frowning.

"All I know is that the heir of the Malfoy family has returned, and there is a routine questioning about it." The young guard moved closer to Hermione: "The rumor is that Snape was terrified when he heard that Malfoy had returned. , maybe he thought it was another Malfoy, you know, the father."

Hermione figured she'd have things to worry about now: "I seriously doubt Severus Snape's going to 'freak out'." Her face was deadpan.

"I guess I'll finish things much slower than you," Ginny sighed. "Don't wait for me."

"A deal?" said Hermione thoughtfully.

Ginny shivered, "For Bellatrix? Thanks, but don't mind your own business. You work for the Department of Mysteries. I'd rather help Neville's botanical garden shovel dragon dung."

Hermione looked into the darkness. The corridor seemed endless, but it had nothing to do with magic. Azkaban was just so creepy and dark.

"Is that the last cell on the right?" she asked the guard.

"Yes, Miss Granger."

Ginny wished her luck and quickly disappeared in the opposite direction to spend the morning's little time with her difficult client.

Bellatrix Lestrange's cell was much like any other cell in Azkaban, with three stone walls five or six feet wide and a fourth wall of magical metal railings.A narrow cot was secured to one stone wall, and a private washroom was recessed into the opposite wall.

Every cell is surrounded by guarding spells, and after the dementors are gone, some measure is necessary, given the difficulty of securing a reluctant wizard or witch, wand or not.

The condition of the prisoner always determined the strength and type of the warding spells, and it was enough to show that Bellatrix's cell was literally soaked in a heap of spells, so many that they gave off a dizzying halo.That didn't make the place's customary eerieness any less, but at least it provided additional lighting.

And there were no other female prisoners in Azkaban at this time, which was enough to make Hermione feel embarrassed for the entire female compatriots.

"Hello, Bellatrix."

The prisoner slowly raised his head while sitting on the cot, Bellatrix was only a shell, she was scrawny, her gray hair was messy, and her eyes were crazy, deep, intense blue.They looked over her withered face.Even though she is like this now, you can still see her old beauty, even elegance, which cannot be denied that Blacks have this quality.

"Okay, Potter's little Mudblood came to see me, what makes me have such a pleasure?"

So thin on the outside, but her voice was deep and sonorous, matching her eyes, Hermione thought.She couldn't remember Bellatrix's voice sounding so condescending, but she wanted to remember the only time she heard the woman's voice, when Bellatrix was giggling maniacally at Harry, and Their experiences at the Ministry of Magic in fifth year.

Not a pleasant memory.

Bellatrix ran her fingers across the metal bars of the cell, watching her visitor, looking only coy and eccentrically curious, guard magic crackling at her touch.

They had her in the standard Azkaban black-striped tunic and trousers, and there was no denying the majesty of her look, as if silk brocades had been draped over her bony body instead of rough handmade cotton.

Hermione unfolded the enchanted parchment, she just needed a moment to copy Bellatrix's Dark Mark, and really, she didn't want to spend more than a moment with this woman unless it was necessary.

"I'm here to take the mark of your Dark Mark, and reach out your arm through the metal railing." It wasn't a request.

Bellatrix stared at the parchment for a while, then taunted Hermione: "Can't I start my interrogation with a real Oro? What have you guys been doing for two months? Or three?" Months?" Her simple arrogance was reminiscent of Sirius, and she returned to the wall behind her, licking her lips distractedly: "Can't see the moon..."

"I'm not here to question you today, but you can rest assured they haven't forgotten you," Hermione replied, although Bellatrix didn't seem to be listening.

"But Oro didn't bring me in in the end, did he? You guys can't do that, and Lucius' son caught me in the end. Didn't think so? I guess it feels beautiful..."

Hermione couldn't help it, and of course she realized she couldn't when she was assigned this mission.Scrimgeour had a temper tantrum when he joined himself in talking to the prisoner before the interrogation.Hermione wasn't surprised when she rushed out next.

"You killed his mother."

Bellatrix's bony face twitched, she blinked, and licked her lips again.

"I didn't, it was the boy, Zabini."

"You ordered it," Hermione reminded her calmly.

"Sissy is weak," Bellatrix said hoarsely, with saliva pooling at the corners of her mouth. "She was always weak. Now, Andromeda is a bloody betrayal pig, a bitch who married a Muggle, But at least . . . at least our dear, mad Andromeda has the courage of the Blacks." She began pacing the small cell, growling and cursing: "I should have guessed my nephew would be like his mother, Mentally retarded, weak-willed. I could be wrong. I think of him more like his father than anyone, and I'm sure including Draco himself, Malfoys are stubborn, stubborn creatures."

At this point her expression softened a bit, but she still looked crazy: "Oh, my wonderful nephew. He walked through hell to find me, you know? I know, oh yes yes yes, I know. After all That is a hell of my own design, how many years has he been looking for me? I heard..."

"Five years," said Hermione absently, feeling suddenly colder.

Bellatrix's eyebrows were raised, and she looked lost in thought for a moment: "Five years? Really? What a shame, such perseverance should be dedicated to the Dark Lord." Her eyes narrowed to Hermione, watching Going up the train of thought is refocusing, and continue to give a passionate speech.

"You filthy people are wasting your time," she declared, with pure malice on her face: "You cowards, who would have thought our Draco would turn out like this? Not a coward in the end, but a coward He should have died alone out of disgrace, Sissy did." Bellatrix nodded heavily: "She died because she dared to plan a different life for herself and her son, poor The misguided and confused Sissy thought she could escape her fate."

Hermione thinks we're back to this fucking fate, she's had enough with Draco.

"We all have choices, Bellatrix."

"And your dirty blood determines your choice, Mudblood, and it won't help you." The disgust in Bellatrix's voice was unshakable.

Hermione realized she was staring at a madwoman, but she still had an overwhelming urge to do something about Bellatrix's violence.This is justice, for those innocent lives killed by her, and even more destroyed lives and families, for the evils she spread in her life.

But it's not her job to enforce justice.

Despite the Ministry of Magic's shortcomings, despite the Ministry of Magic's devious and ambiguous strategies, in the end Arthur Weasley was right, it was all a process.

Even though the Ministry of Magic had done these injustices to Draco five years ago, even though he had endured the losses, he still believed in the process and had no desire to exact ultimate vengeance on Bellatrix.Merlin knew he had a chance to kill her.

Hermione felt a pain in her chest at the thought, real or hallucinatory, she couldn't tell.It feels real, and it probably stems from trying to hide her anger and disgust from Bellatrix.Maybe she just utterly disliked the task assigned to her this morning.

But she knew it might be because of the hard rock that encased her heart, and the cracks were getting wider and wider, and it wasn't all bad, but it was certainly scary.

Giving in to her anger, Hermione approached the metal bars of Bellatrix's cell and said in a very calm and stern tone: "When we've got you done, we'll go find Tom Riddle, and then we'll Stop him, forever."

Bellatrix bared her teeth fiercely and roared, but Hermione didn't finish.

"Hold out your arms or I'll call in two strong Muggle-born wizards and strip you naked for no reason other than that I'd love to see you trampled on. Then, Bellatrix, I will happily bear the mark of your Dark Mark."

Bellatrix looked at Hermione resentfully, then stuck her thin right arm out between the two railings.Her pale skin was loose and thin, and the Dark Mark had faded just down the inside of her forearm.Hermione carefully avoided direct contact with herself while covering the branded skin with parchment. When she removed the parchment, an imprint had been transferred to the parchment, a perfect replica.

In the blink of an eye, a pair of unbelievable black wings sprang past her eyes like a ghost, and Hermione blinked away the nasty memory.

The author has something to say:

This chapter has a lot of content, but I don’t know why it feels particularly difficult and obscure. In addition to being busy at the end of the year, it took so long. First of all, I’m sorry!

Feelings are like drinking water. Everyone saw that Draco's departure made Hermione painful, but Ginny who got a long-term stay together may not be happy either. Every man has a dream of adventure in his heart...

Arthur Weasley's process theory has been recognized by Hermione. It can only be said that time has made Hermione mature and smooth, and Skynet is fully restored.

Both the professor and Bella are locked in the highest security. After all, this is a disguised winner in life. Everyone thinks you are awesome...

I'm done with my busy schedule this year, and I'm going to take public holidays one after another this month, and the frequency will speed up~

Just treat the ending as a Christmas gift, New Year's Day gift, or at the latest, a Spring Festival gift, ahahaha

Thank you for waiting and not giving up