Healing Draco Malfoy

Chapter 32

Published: November 14, 2021

Bang! Rang the gavel, and Harry winced. The Wizengamot was reconvening this morning, and Harry was up next. The trial had already gone on for two days with the Minister's Counsel, Prosecutor Bletchley, barely getting the facts into evidence and rarely objecting to Runcorn's unsubstantiated statements. Hermione had to push him every step of the way. The crime scene evidence was in, including the damning photo that McGrath had submitted to the Ministry himself.

Hermione said that he was nailed on those counts, depraved difference, criminal neglect, and robbery. The Aurors had raided McGrath's home and found over fifty objects from the Manor that the Ministry had catalogued after Narcissa Malfoy's death. McGrath had yet to offer a valid excuse or defense on those counts. But the attempted murder charge wasn't proven, yet. McGrath was only looking at five years, with the ability to get paroled at two years. It was on Harry and his carefully written notes to prove that case.

The chief warlock, Thaddeus FitzGibbons, called out, "Next witness, Counselor Bletchley?"

"The Prosecution summons Healer Harry James Potter to testify."

Harry, with two cups of spiked tea in him, walked toward the witness stand. He was still nervous, but managed to get through the swearing-in and introductions. Bletchley wasn't helpful in guiding him through what he needed to say, but Harry got the words out, anyway. He brought a large folder of evidence, including Draco's initial scans before he had even seen him. Harry explained the breaks, the muscle atrophy, and the pure inability Draco had to hold a wand, walk or even move his limbs.

It was long, hours even, but he got it all into record that there was no way that Draco made it up the stairs, crawling or not. The chief warlock and the assistant chief warlock, Mafalda Hopkirk, asked many questions. A few trickled in from the rest of the court members, but he answered them all easily and with a mountain of evidence to support it. Runcorn tried a few times to stop the testimony, but Chief Warlock FitzGibbons had overruled him.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief when he had gotten all of his evidence into the record, but Runcorn got up to cross-examine him. Grayson Runcorn was the brother of Albert Runcorn, convicted Death Eater. Grayson had managed to exonerate himself from any charges, but Hermione said that he was the scummiest defense attorney she'd ever seen. Harry breathed deeply and, as it had been a few hours, his tea was wearing off.

"Mr. Potter..." Runcorn started.

Kingsley, another paneled judge of the trial, leaned forward. "That's Healer Potter, Counselor.

"My apologies. Healer Potter...now, let me get this straight... you talked a long time today... but did you actually submit evidence that my client... did something?"

Harry grimaced. "No."

"So that three-hour presentation was for nothing?" he sneered.

"No, it was to prove that Mr. Malfoy, the victim, was physically incapable of harming himself, as you have tried to insinuate."

"Let's stay on point, Healer Potter. You have no evidence that my client was even there when this accident occurred?"

"I presented evidence to remove Mr. Malfoy from consideration of how the assault occurred. Counselor Bletchley has already offered evidence that the wards were up and barely anyone knew Mr. Malfoy was home."

"But you don't have any proof... in that whole folder that there's evidence of my defendant causing the accident?"

"No, but your client's bloody fingerprint on the window is evidence."

"But that could have been there from any moment, correct?"

Harry glared, but didn't answer this time.

"Well, healer... let's talk about your motives."

Harry raised his eyebrows and glanced to Bletchley, who just smirked. No help was coming from that front.

"This isn't your first time in this courtroom, hasn't it? Weren't you charged with underage magic and breaking the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy?"

Harry's eyes widened at the direct attack. He knew that getting on the stand had a price. No one had heard from him in nearly five years, and Runcorn wasn't going to miss his chance at tearing him apart on the stand. Harry wasn't even surprised. He had prepared and was willing to go through this for Draco. Thankfully, the Minister of Magic was on his side.

"Counselor, the witness isn't on trial," Kingsley growled. "Stay on point, and also Healer Potter was acquitted, so watch it."

"I apologize... but I can question the witness's motives, can't I?" Runcorn drawled, to the panel.

The chief warlock sighed and said, "To a limited extent, it is allowed. But make any more allusions that the witness has committed crimes, without evidence to support it and you can be charged with libel and face a disciplinary panel, yourself."

"I will acknowledge your warning. So, Healer Potter... are you friends with Draco Malfoy?"

Harry swallowed nervously. "Yes. He's been my patient for nearly three months. I treat him every day."

"No need to sound defensive, Healer Potter, unless you have something to hide?"

"I do not. Most of my notes and records that I have testified about were submitted to the St. Mungo's patient records during the first few days that Mr. Malfoy was my patient. My feelings have nothing to do with it. In fact, Mr. Malfoy and I were loosely described as enemies at that time."

"Enemies... but you spoke at his attempted murder and charges related to him being a Death Eater trial?"

Harry kept his temper in check. Runcorn had again brought up Draco's criminal hi온라인카지노게임, and Bletchley didn't even raise an eyebrow. The prosecutor was practically enjoying this public humiliation.

"Mr. Malfoy's criminal past has no bearing on this case," Harry growled.

"But you did testify for him, correct? I was just stating what he was charged with, in case you didn't remember."

"I testified for several people after the war. Mr. Malfoy was one of them."

"You weren't friends, then?"

"Hardly. One of the last times I saw Mr. Malfoy was when your brother was aiming his wand at him, though he was unarmed. I stunned your brother, and my friend punched Mr. Malfoy. It wasn't necessary. Of course, we were just kids back then, which that was the point I made at his trial."

Runcorn went red and was staring daggers at him. Mentioning his brother's criminal activities, and reminding everyone in the court about them, wasn't the best idea, but it felt oddly satisfying.

Runcorn cooled down. "Fine. If you weren't friends, perhaps it is something else that is swaying you?"

"Nothing is 'swaying me'."

"You spent a great deal of time going over Mr. Malfoy's skeletal injuries... but I noticed that you didn't mention anything about the sexual abuse that is visible in his scans. Was Mr. Malfoy sexually assaulted?"

Harry lowered his eyes and felt his heart beat faster. "It wasn't pertinent to the case."

"That is not what I asked."

"Yes."

"Describe what Mr. Malfoy went through... in detail, please."

"Why is that necessary?"

"Our defense is that Mr. Malfoy somehow is responsible for his accident, and it seems strange that you're so evasive about answering some questions."

Harry had to control his facial expressions as Runcorn slowly and painstakingly pulled the list of Draco's injuries and how they happened out of him. Runcorn was enjoying drawing it out, like he knew the questions already. Harry had submitted his packet for review, but it'd take weeks to decipher, if they had a specialized healer. Most didn't bother looking beyond the current injuries, but through the years, Harry had felt the injuries and was able to compare them to the scan. He had only briefly discussed the sexual abuse in Draco's permanent file.

Runcorn was merciless, though, as he questioned him. "Does Mr. Malfoy's injuries suggest that he had been violated by more than one person?"

"Yes."

"How so?"

Harry's hand was starting to tremble as he explained weight distributions and varying pressures of the breaks. Runcorn wasn't surprised by any of it. Harry could tell the Wizengamot was impressed and shocked by both his abilities and what Draco had gone through.

"And you expect me to believe that you can tell all of that?" Runcorn snarled.

"I expect that you already knew that I can tell all of that, Counselor, and that's why you asked."

Runcorn glared. "How is it possible that you can?"

"I read the scans. I'm quite good at my job."

"So, if I took this scan to the head of St. Mungo's, a competent healer, she would be able to see that?"

"Perhaps. I do not know her skills with scan reading. I only know mine, but if you really want to test my skills in open court, have at it. I can scan anyone, tell you what their injuries were, roughly how and when they occurred and heal any remaining damage."

Runcorn scoffed. "I hardly think...."

"I'll take you up on that offer!" Madam Marchbanks called out and shuffled to the front.

The chief warlock gave the go-head, intrigued, as Harry scanned her, retold her life 온라인카지노게임 of injuries and healed some arthritis in her wrists, an old shoulder injury from quidditch in her teen years, some hip displacement from falling down some stairs a few years ago and a bum knee. She was absolutely thrilled and demonstrated her mobility for the whole court. She also affirmed that he was correct on everything.

The Wizengamot was very impressed, and Harry could hear a few saying that they needed to book an appointment with him. Harry tried not to smile over the massive victory he had just won. Runcorn was not happy and McGrath looked worried, too, especially when the chief warlock cut him off from asking more questions.

"Healer Potter has demonstrated his proficiency. I see no reason for you to keep questioning him about his ability to heal and detect injuries," he ruled.

"Fine. I notice that you didn't use a wand?" he sneered, still angry from that loss.

"I do not. There are many wizards and witches in the world who do not use wands. It's not just me. Several African tribes strictly are wandless."

"Yes, and many die from it, is that not right?"

"Well, I am hard to kill," Harry jeered, earning a few laughs.

"Most attribute wandless magic with accidental magic."

"I'm in complete control, and I'm certainly not accidentally doing it."

"But if you were not... in control? Would your magic be more or less likely to be accidental?"

Runcorn was switching back to direct attack, Harry noted. "I fail to see how that is relevant to Former Officer McGrath's case?"

McGrath ignored him. "Have you ever lost control... say flung a person across the room?"

Harry worked hard not to respond. Higgs. That was where this asshole was getting his information from. Fucking hell. He evened out his voice. "If I had... I wouldn't call it accidental magic."

"Pardon? You routinely throw people across the room on purpose?"

"Not routinely, but if someone was trying to hurt me... I would view it as defensive."

"But you've never thrown a defenseless person before?"

"You are asking oddly specific questions, Counselor. But no, I haven't, as I consider having a wand as being armed."

"Do you?"

"I was in a war and went through Auror training."

"But if that person was trying to help you...."

"Are we playing hypotheticals all day?" Harry growled, trying to object as Bletchley was not even paying attention.

"No, we aren't. Move along, Counselor," Assistant Chief Warlock Hopkirk ordered.

Harry was happy for that win, too. Runcorn didn't get him to perjure himself. He had a feeling that Runcorn wanted to be able to call Higgs to the stand to contradict him, as otherwise, he couldn't. Whatever happened, Higgs could not be allowed to be called up, for both his and Draco's sake.

"Alright... let's get back to your motives, Healer Potter."

Harry sighed audibly, as did a few others.

"What made you leave the Aurors?"

Harry cursed Higgs back to the hell he came from. "I don't see how that has any bearing on this case, either."

"Counselor?" Chief Warlock FitzGibbons grunted.

"If you would allow me some leeway, your honor?"

"Some." Though the chief warlock wasn't decidedly against him, Harry could tell he was intrigued by the mystery, and shooed off Kingsley, who had tried to interject.

"Healer Potter? You had a bright career set in the Ministry as a skilled Auror? Why did you completely change careers?"

"I'd been through a war, and I was tired of being attacked. I enjoy my nice sedentary life that, quite frankly, I deserve."

A few Wizengamot members nodded to that.

"I understood that there was an incident that prompted you to leave?"

Harry said nothing. He wasn't going to spell it out for him.

"Healer Potter... did you not have a nervous breakdown during a training exercise?"

Harry could feel the eyes of the room upon him. There was no avoiding this. He couldn't refute it, and there was no point in refusing to answer it. It was out in the open. They knew.

"Yes."

Runcorn smiled, as shocked whispers went through the crowd. "Wouldn't you say that was the reason?"

Harry's hand was shaking. "Not the only reason. I could have stayed on, but decided I didn't want to be attacked anymore, nor risk my fellow Aurors by it happening again during a real mission."

"Did you get treatment after the incident?"

"No."

"Any reason why?"

"It's none of your business," Harry said, barely able to keep the stutter out of his voice. The Calming Draught was nearly out of his system.

Kingsley cleared his throat, loudly. "Yes, Counselor. I agree. You said that there was a point?"

"There is your honor, but I'll move it along. Healer Potter, to sum up, your testimony from earlier... Mr. Malfoy was tortured and sexually assaulted on a daily basis. Chained spread-eagled for a long period of time and was unable to fight off his attackers?"

Harry nodded.

"Healer Potter, were you ever sexually assaulted?"

Harry froze and stopped breathing, as did the Wizengamot. He wasn't going to affirm his statement, not without a fight. He looked to the chief warlock, but knew it wouldn't matter, no matter what he decided. Everyone was going to know and speculate.

"Counselor Runcorn, that is not something that you can...."

"Chief Warlock... Draco Malfoy was a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of the Azkaban guards, I remind you. If Healer Potter was one, too, then I can question his motives for testifying."

The chief warlock's eyes narrowed. He did not like it one bit. He conferred with Kingsley and Hopkirk, but he shook his head to Kingsley.

"I'm sorry, Healer Potter, but you're going to have to answer. I am warning you, don't stray too far, Counselor."

Runcorn was smiling like the bastard he was and asked, "Healer Potter, are you a victim of sexual assault."

"Yes," he whispered.

The courtroom collectively gasped and some even had tears, but Harry looked at the floor. Fucking Higgs. He was smart enough to figure it out.

"And it happened not too long before you left the Aurors?"

Harry glared at him, but nodded. More whispers echoed in the courtroom.

"So, when I asked why you left the Aurors...."

Anger flared through him and he spat, "I said that I didn't want to be attacked anymore. It was completely true, Counselor. I had no desire to have my personal life attacked like this."

Thankfully, there were anger mutters, and several witches and wizards were staring at Runcorn with the deepest loathing. Harry never forgot for a second that the Wizengamot was a political courtroom. This was just more nails in McGrath's coffin.

"Well, then, how does it make you feel that Draco Malfoy was also a victim of sexual assault?"

Harry sighed, "Sad, upset."

"Do you think that influenced how you view things?"

"View what things? I've only stated facts, not even interpretations."

"Surely, other healers could come to different results."

"No, they couldn't. One of the scans I submitted into record wasn't even mine. It was from Mr. Malfoy's initial entry."

"You've made some wild claims about his physical abilities...."

"They aren't wild. I counted every break in his hand and wrist. I felt his muscle atrophy. Even after three months of healing, he still can't walk. Even if you don't believe that I can't tell how old injuries are, a fall from three stories will not do that!"

"Healer Potter, you seem to be getting upset. Are you saying that you aren't emotional? That you aren't affected by knowing what Draco Malfoy went through?"

Harry grimaced, as Runcorn was purposely using Draco's first name to provoke a response. He murmured, "Affected? Sure, it was a horrible experience he went through."

"That Mr. Malfoy went through? You must have noticed the similarities between what you and Mr. Malfoy experienced," Runcorn sneered.

"They were not the same."

"Really?" Runcorn smirked triumphantly. He turned and picked up a roll of parchment off his desk and approached him.

Harry eyed him, warily, and accepted it. At Runcorn's direction, he unrolled it. Harry frowned as, in two seconds, he understood exactly what it was. He looked at Runcorn in fear. It was his scan, and once he took it, it was in evidence, for anyone to request. He even could tell it wasn't the one Joel took a few weeks ago. There was no remodeling in his injuries. No, it was taken just after he had been attacked, from when he was admitted into the Mental Health ward. Higgs is going to pay for this.

"Healer Potter, can I call on your expertise? Can you read that healer scan and tell me what kind of damage was done to this person's wrists and ankles?"

Harry didn't look back down, and was trying to go numb. He was fighting to remain in the present and keep the tears in. There was no getting out of this. He murmured, without inflection, "The damage was caused by restraints."

"Was this person restrained as Mr. Malfoy was? Spread-eagled?" Runcorn asked, with some amount of pleasure. He was getting closer, pressing in on his space.

Harry took a deep breath. "Yes."

"Are there indications that the Cruciatus Curse was used?"

"Yes."

"What about signs of repeated sexual assault?"

He closed his eyes. "Yes."

"To the mouth and anus?" Runcorn practically purred.

Fucking asshole. "Yes."

"Was this person beaten hard enough to break bones?"

"Yes."

"Healer Potter, I don't really think you confirmed all that by just with one look, so how do you know all that?" Runcorn sneered, and Harry finally locked eyes with him.

"You know why," Harry hissed and wanted to hex him so bad. His anger was the only thing keeping him there.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Runcorn feigned ignorance.

"It's my scan." More murmurs from the captive audience, but Harry just looked at the floor. He didn't want to see their reactions.

"Your scan?" Runcorn said, with fake surprise.

"Yes, and I'll be checking on how you got it," Harry grunted.

"It was anonymously left on my desk at work," Runcorn said.

Harry looked at him, briefly. Fucking hell. Runcorn had tricked him into verifying that it was his.

"But Healer Potter, I thought you said that there weren't any similarities between Mr. Malfoy's abuse and yours? They sound very similar to me."

Harry shook his head, in denial. Runcorn was breaking through his defenses. "I-it's different. Dr-Mr. Malfoy's abuse went on for six years with multiple people. Mine was just one person over one period."

"Really, how long was that period?"

"Enough, Counselor," Kingsley growled, his voice angrier than Harry had ever heard.

"Well, I was just...."

"You've made your point. Move on," the chief warlock ordered, equally upset.

"Very well. Healer Potter, you don't feel any connection to Mr. Malfoy, then?"

Harry took another deep breath. Thank Merlin, Kingsley had stepped in. "Sure. I've known him since we were eleven. He didn't deserve this."

"Don't you want to avenge him?" Runcorn sneered.

"Avenge? I call it bringing justice to those who have hurt him."

"Is that because the person who assaulted you was never caught?"

Harry looked at him. "No."

"Well, surely you don't expect the court to believe that you're not sore about that?"

"I'm not. The person who hurt me was brought to justice."

Runcorn did not expect that, and it was obvious. He recovered, though. "I looked at court records. There were no cases...."

"I said justice, not a trial."

"But as there isn't a court record stating otherwise, your assailant wasn't convicted for what he did to you, correct?"

"No."

"But you allege he was punished by other means? What does that mean? Did you get even? Did you kill him?"

"I'm not a killer," Harry snarled.

"Well, you killed the Dark Lord?"

Dark Lord, huh? Harry thought, but growled, "No, I didn't. His spell backfired on him."

Runcorn smirked. "Well, then. Please enlighten the court on how...."

"I don't have to. It has nothing to do with your case. It's on you to prove me wrong."

"Healer Potter, you have to answer...."

"Counselor, the witness is not on trial," Madam Hopkirk snapped. She looked flustered.

"Fine. Let's go back to the same point we've been dancing around. You'd do anything for Mr. Malfoy, wouldn't you?"

"Not anything."

"Well, you came out of hiding to testify for him?"

"I'm not in hiding. I've been working as a healer for five years."

"But you don't go anywhere else."

"That's not true. I visit my family and friends, the Minister, and I eat out with my colleagues. I have no duty to be followed everywhere by the media."

"You are here for Draco, aren't you?" Runcorn growled, trying to bait him, again.

"Obviously, but the fact that it is Mr. Malfoy is irrelevant."

"You didn't come out to any of the other trials for his abusers."

"I didn't need to, as they were all convicted without the need of testimony from Mr. Malfoy or me."

"And you came here just to settle the score, because Mr. Malfoy couldn't talk?"

Harry lifted his head. His Auror training wasn't gone, and Runcorn thought he couldn't talk. Maybe he could bait him to get him to say the damning words.

Harry's hands stopped shaking. "I came here because Mr. Malfoy was too scared to come."

"Too scared? You're just trying to get your own vengeance through him, aren't you? Let's face it. We don't have any idea what he would say, because he won't talk."

"I know exactly what he'd say," Harry goaded.

"Really? What would he say?"

Harry smiled victoriously, "He said, quote: McGrath tried to kill me by throwing me out of my own house's window and left me splattered on my terrace for three days, hoping I'd die. Endquote."

"Objection! It's hearsay! Healer Potter can't bring up statements made out of court!"

"I have to agree," Madam Hopkirk began.

As Bletchley didn't say anything, Harry growled, "Umm... no. Counselor Runcorn asked me for it. He waived the hearsay objection."

Runcorn paled with shock, and McGrath looked nervous. The chief warlock conferred with Kingsley and Madam Hopkirk in a sidebar. The rest of the Wizengamot was already nodding in agreement.

"If this gets entered, I can call him to testify!" Runcorn threatened, looking at Harry.

Harry was in the moment now. He would always put his friends and family first. "You can try, but you rushed this trial. Mr. Malfoy's under healer's orders not to leave his room."

"Your orders!" he shrieked.

Harry shrugged. "You pressed for this. If you want Mr. Malfoy to come to court, it will be several months. I'm sure, by then, he'll be comfortable testifying... about anything."

"You...."

"Enough!" the chief warlock interjected their privately-public argument. "Healer Potter is correct on both counts. The hearsay statement is entered into the record, with the addendum that it is an out-of-court statement, and Mr. Malfoy cannot be forced to appear until his healer releases his restrictions."

"Chief Warlock! This... is preposterous! No one can corroborate that statement!" Runcorn screeched, desperately.

Harry raised his hand. "That's not true. The head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Hermione Granger, was present for that statement and, I'm sure, will have no objection to verifying that... if Counselor Runcorn wants to waive that hearsay objection for her, too."

Runcorn's mouth dropped. He was trapped as no counselor would want Hermione on the stand. She was unbreakable, incoercible.

"Your objection is overruled," Kingsley declared. "Any more questions, Counselor?"

Runcorn returned to his desk and sat next to McGrath, who was worried, shaking and telling him to fix it.

"Counselor?" the chief warlock called out.

"No further questions," Runcorn said, leaning back in his chair.

"But you can't just..." McGrath said, aghast. "Your honor, I want a retrial!"

"Denied. Healer Potter, thank you for your testimony. You are excused."

Harry slowly rose up, tightening his muscles to hide how much he was shaking. He kept his eyes on the floor and tried to hold off the tears that weren't far off.

"Counselor, do you have any witnesses for your defense?" Chief Warlock FitzGibbons asked Runcorn.

"No," Runcorn admitted, as Harry walked toward the door. "But I move to dismiss the attempted murder charge on lack of evidence!"

Harry pushed open the door and heard the chief warlock say, "Denied, the Wizengamot will weigh Healer Potter's statements and make their own decision."

The door shut behind him, and the shaking started. He nearly dropped to the floor. That was what we needed, Harry thought. He'd won. The case had gotten by the evidentiary objection. The chief warlock didn't throw it out. He did what he had to do to keep Draco safe. It didn't matter what the cost was. Draco needed this, and he didn't regret paying this price.

"Harry!" Hermione called and came running down the hall toward him. Ron wasn't far behind her.

Harry just shook and couldn't meet her eyes as she approached him.

Hermione slowly hugged him and whispered, "I'm so sorry, Harry."

He broke down in her arms, and she just held him tight and rubbed his back. Ron was looking pissed, muttered a few metaphoric curses under his breath. But suddenly, Harry could hear voices and scooting chairs from the courtroom. They were probably released for lunch.

"Get me out of here, please!" he rasped. He didn't want anyone to ask him more questions.

"I got a portkey," Ron said, as he held an old dog toy out and activated it. "Three seconds."

Harry and Hermione touched it, and Harry was pulled by his navel away from the basement hallway, just as the doors opened.