Life Debt

Harry tried his damnest not to hex the ever-loving-fuck out of the bastards in the high chairs. This was too much like the muggleborn trials that he had witnessed as Runcorn, way back when.

"What is this! Aurors! Seize...."

"Don't you dare finish that order, Minister! You've done your best to keep me from here, and I won't let you silence me any longer!" Harry growled, power flowing through him.

There were four Aurors in the room and more surely in the hallways, but Harry had brought back up as well. Bill, George, Seamus, Dean, Zabini, and Luna came into the spectator section. It did not go unnoticed by the Aurors. They stopped and looked at each other, deciding if they wanted to try them.

Robards yelled, "Mr. Potter isn't medically cleared. He's delusional, and his mind is...."

"You say another word about my mental capabilities and I will sue you into the ground," Harry said, avoiding pointing his wand at the man. "Madam Patil is the mother of my good friends from school and would be most excited to hear slander in an open court."

"You can't threaten me!"

"You can't make wild speculations as to my medical condition, especially as you have no proof of anything."

"Your mind healer declared you..." Robards started, but was grabbed by his undersecretary.

"Want to finish that defaming comment? And how would you know what my mind healer said? I thought that medical files were privileged?"

The Minister of Magic glared but comported himself. "Members of the Court. I believe that this young man is not well. He was just captured and held for nine months. We have no idea what his mental condition is! He needs to return to the hospital!"

Harry growled, "You have no right to commit me! I just defeated Voldemort. I fought for my life to save everyone from that mad man. And now you want to lock me up? Do I look crazy or unhinged?"

Harry lowered his wand and stashed it in his robes. Members of the Court were looking at Harry with some amount of hero worship. They spent the last nine months glorifying him.

The Minister wasn't paying attention that PO was turning against him. "We have no idea what Draco Malfoy or the Dark Lord did to you...."

"You are right about that! You have no idea!" he snapped. "And yet you rushed this trial as fast as possible and refused to let me tell you what happened? You could have waited if you had doubts! Not try to sweep it under the rug while I was supposedly "incapacitated"."

"We wanted justice! This Death Eater deserves death for what he did to you!"

Harry pulled out his wand and released the restraints holding Draco to the chair. Draco tightened up and brought his hands into his chest. Harry rubbed his back.

"Hey!" the Minister cried.

"Shut up, blockhead," he turned to glance around the Court. "My pardons to the Court for my sudden arrival or harsh words. That jerk ordered St. Mungo's to restrain me, potion me and not let me leave."

"That is simply...."

"Quiet! I'm speaking! I would have come sooner, but we had to escape from the Aurors. There were repeated attempts to contact the Minister or the arbitor for this case, but they ignored me and refused to take my statement."

"You are compromised! You could be Confunded! That Death Eater has spent nine months torturing and raping you! He doesn't even deny it! Your mind is twisted and confused! You need to go to the hospital! Aurors!"

"Don't even think about trying us," Ron said, glaring down an Auror, who backed off.

Harry turned back to Draco, confused. "Draco?"

Draco lowered his head. "I can't...."

"He's under Veritaserum, right now," Professor McGonagall explained, and it all made sense. Harry's angry was about to explode.

The Minister took the chance to yell, "Death Eater! Tell the Court exactly how many Unforgivable Curses you used!"

Draco started. "I...."

"Draco, do not say another word without my permission," he ordered and Draco hissed slightly. He kept his arm hidden, though.

Harry growled under his breath and looked back up at the Chief Warlock. "I'd take Veritaserum, too, if you'd believe me! But this will have to do..." he declared and raised his wand above his head. It glowed with power. "I, Harry James Potter, do swear on my life and magic, that Draco Malfoy never raped me, never abused me, never beat me, and never used an Unforgivable on me in the last nine months of my life. This I solemnly swear!"

Rings expanded from his wand and slowly disappeared into the ether. Draco looked at him in amazement. Ron said, solemnly and a little amazed, "Magic has judged him and he remains standing."

"His magic?" an older wizard asked.

"Expecto Patronum!" he yelled, and his stag raced around the room.

"The oath is valid... even if he was Confounded," another murmured. The Court settled down significantly.

"You put a date qualifier on that oath!"

Harry snorted. "Draco and I weren't very chummy before war. I nearly killed him when we were 16. I won't let you hold us accountable for things that are long past. Chief Warlock... I wish to give my statement, my testimony."

"I..." the man, who had been merely watching the display so far, grimaced. "Proceed."

"But Chief Warlock!" Robards interjected.

"It is only right!" Professor McGonagall declared, and the judge waved him off.

"Thank you. My name is Harry Potter. Apparently, I turned 18 recently. At the Battle of Hogwarts... I surrendered myself to the Death Eaters... to save everyone from Voldemort. He decided not to kill me and faked my death. He implanted a memory into my friend Hagrid's mind and transfigured a body to look like me. He had Bellatrix Lestrange take me to Lucius Malfoy's house. He lost the Battle, but some of his supporters were able to escape. Voldemort was bitter and anxious to rebuild his forces. He left me to the Death Eaters to play with.

"Greyback, Yaxley, Bellatrix, and Avery came nearly every day to torture me and do worse. I had no hope of rescue... and I nearly lost myself. But someone came to help me. Someone healed me and kept me going. That person was Draco Malfoy. He was just as trapped as I was. Unable to leave. Unable to get a message out. He saved me. Then he helped me plan to defeat the Dark Lord once and for all. We got rid of the wards, and he went out to find help and made contact with my friends, Ron and Hermione. We planned an attack, calling in for help, and Draco was standing there at my side when Voldemort fell.

"Actually, he was standing in front of me, blocking Voldemort's Death Curse from reaching me! Draco Malfoy protected me. He comforted me and he's the only reason that Voldemort is gone now! He's not a Death Eater. He never was! He was trapped by his father and Voldemort," he said and noticed that most of the Court were still wincing at his name.

"He took the Mark willingly!" Minister Robards growled.

"No, he didn't! Voldemort would have killed him and his parents. It was coerced. He was a kid!"

"That is no excuse! You can't convince me and the Wizengamot that he isn't a Death Eater. We already heard all about what he did to you, Greyback and Yaxley!"

Harry flinched. "Excuse me? I just swore that Draco didn't do anything to me."

"Really? Did he not make you suck Yaxley's... penis... in front of Voldemort? Did he not standby that let Greyback do whatever he wanted."

"He didn't make me do anything, Robards. Do not try to downplay what situation we were in. We had a role to play to survive. What do you think Voldemort would have done if he found out Draco was helping me? Draco had to pretend he was cruel and hurting me. I had to pretend I was hurt."

Robards snorted. "Pretend? It wasn't an act."

"Really? Were you fucking there? Because I remember making the decision to play that part. We planned it out before it happened! Want me to swear to it? Or Draco to tell you it?"

"It doesn't matter!"

"It sure does. Draco, did we plan that scenario out?"

Draco nodded. "Yes, m-we decided on what I'd call you, what you'd do, safewords and that I would be mean."

"See?"

"This is pointless! That Death Eater is Marked and has no problem hurting you or others! He corrupted you and turned you into his pet, willing to follow his every order! He broke you!"

Harry's eyes glinted, and he laughed, slightly manically. Ron and Hermione were looking at him. He was probably looking a bit deranged, now. "He broke me? No, Minister. You have that backwards."

The man looked confused. "What?"

"Draco, kneel."

Draco immediately dropped to the floor hard and gripped his arm. He held in the whimper, but his Mark surely stung. He wouldn't meet his eyes, now. He hoped Draco would forgive him for this. The Court had gone eerily quiet, trying to understand.

"What many of you don't know is that the Dark Mark is a slaver's band. Voldemort made it so his Death Eaters would be bound by their oaths. Draco had no choice but to obey him. That's why no one knew I was alive. Voldemort ordered all Death Eaters to not speak a word that I was alive! He ordered Draco and the others to not let me die, not let me escape and not let anyone know I was alive. Draco couldn't break those orders, even though he wanted too," Harry explained, softly. Some court members were in shock.

"What are you getting at?" Robards said.

"The only way that Draco and I could escape... was to get rid of Voldemort's Dark Mark."

"You can't get rid of the Dark Mark!" someone declared.

Harry scanned the crowd. "Yes, you can. We figured it out... together, and I replaced it. Draco... lift your arm and show them your new Mark."

Draco winced and slowly extended his arm upward, showing a slightly red dragon that went back to black. The Court gasped as they craned to look. Hermione and Ron looked worried but held their ground.

"Why was it red?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Every time I give him an order. It will brand him, again. Draco, do not move your arm."

Draco cried out in pain as the mark lit up again. Harry winced internally too. Some of the Court members looked horrified.

"How do we know that this isn't a trick?"

"Draco... can you move that arm?"

"No ma-" he said, stopping his words, again.

"If I told you to break your own fingers, would you have to do it?" he asked.

"Yes," Draco whispered, fear evident in his voice.

"That Veritaserum is still in his system. He speaks the truth. Draco Malfoy gave me his oath and I branded him. He is mine!" Harry declared, and more Wizengamot members looked wary.

"That still doesn't change what he did!" Robards refused to give up.

"And what's that?"

"He tortured two people for fun!"

"Ahh... those two. Greyback and Yaxley? The ones that raped me nearly every day for months?"

"That doesn't give him permission to torture people!"

"Draco... what order did I give you regarding Greyback and the others?"

"Y-You said to get them in line and under my control," Draco said to the Court in a monotone voice. Harry hated it.

"He nearly killed Yaxley!"

"Draco, tell them what I ordered you to do to Greyback and Yaxley the day before Voldemort fell."

Draco hissed as he recognized the order. "Master... you said to go find Greyback. Cripple him or torture him until he wasn't able to fight tomorrow. To blame him for what he did to me. Kill him if I had to. You ordered me to do the same to Yaxley and take his wand."

"Could you disobey those orders?"

Draco sobbed a little. "No, master."

The Court was quiet, no doubt in shock seeing how broken Draco was. Harry knew he had to keep up the act, and hoped that Draco was okay.

"Draco Malfoy never had a choice. Even if I didn't order him to do those things, we were prisoners. We couldn't leave. He couldn't refuse Voldemort without dying. I know that the Death Eaters need to pay for their crimes, but Draco does not have the Dark Mark. That is my brand. He swore his allegiance to me... to destroy Voldemort. Please see that. He's a victim. Voldemort came into his home when he was fifteen! Tortured him, branded him and sent him on a death mission. Voldemort was going to kill his mother if he didn't try to kill Dumbledore! And he refused to do it!" Harry shouted, ready to fight to the death for his...for Draco.

Robards was grumbling. "We can't let him get away with...."

"Away with what?" Harry sneered. "He's been punished enough... tortured enough. He let Greyback and Yaxley torture him rather than let them torture me! He's lived in fear for years. Show some compassion. He's the reason I'm alive, and Voldemort's gone! He figured out how to take down Voldemort! He saved my life and was ready to sacrifice himself so we could all be free! We all owe him! Please... let him go!"

The Court members looked guilty, and after some mumbling, the Chief Warlock called for a vote. Only a few voted to convict. The vast majority voted to clear him of all charges.

"This isn't over yet, Potter! I can keep charging him with new crimes. This will not stop until...."

"Shut the hell up!" Harry snarled. "Merlin! I thought Fudge was bad... but you... whatever. This is not over. You and your Ministry are in deep shit, asshole!"

Some members gasped and Professor McGonagall said, "Mr. Potter...."

He ignored her and glared at the former Auror. He was seething after Ron told him what happened. "You want to explain how Draco Malfoy was brutally raped in Auror custody?"

The Court members straightened up, and some asking if that was true.

"That's a lie! Nothing happened to him!"

"I saw it happen!" Ron yelled, on cue. "I was here in your department watching the Aurors strip, bind and beat him! He was in interrogation for almost two days! Then the Aurors dragged him naked and injured from interrogation, and threw him, bound, in Yaxley's room, who sexually assaulted him... while the Auror bloody watched!"

"Impossible!"

"Scandalous!"

"Gross dereliction of duty!"

"This is all lies!" Robards yelled over them

Harry roared back, "It is not! I demand that this be investigated and the Minister be held accountable for what has happened."

"You can't...."

"I can," Chief Warlock Reacher declared. "A full Wizengamot inquiry. Internal Witches and Wizards Affairs will investigate and make recommendations. If this is true... charges will be filed."

Robards looked like he swallowed a lemon, then he turned back to Harry. "Are we just supposed to let you have a master-slave bond with him? You cast some very dark magic!"

"What I will do, is none of your business!" Harry growled. "We're leaving. Please give me your hand, Draco."

Draco didn't look at him but offered his hand.

"Thanks guys... Professor. See you later," Harry said, and he pulled Draco into his Apparation.