Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter! That right goes to the amazing J.K. Rowling.

CHAPTER 1

Hermione had no idea way she has forced herself to go to his trial. All through her life he had been her bully, her friends' bully, and she had even punched him once. She was sitting high above the chair that he would soon be strapped into with magical manacles, and she surveyed the room. There were so many faces that she didn't recognize that she was surprised to find that there was one that she recognized very well. Harry Potter was sitting three rows down from her across the room. He was chatting with a wizard sitting next to him that Hermione did not recognize. She frowned wondering what he was doing here at 'his' trial. Hermione knew for a fact that Harry had not gone to any of the other trials unless he had been summoned to be there. She knew for a fact that he had not been summoned to this one. She had not shown up at any of the trials either; the two of them had talked about it in length the other night. Hermione knew that Harry would not have lied to her. At least she didn't think that he would have.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the young man in question. In through the doors, Draco Malfoy was led by two Aurors. Draco did not look around at the faces lining the walls above him. He kept his head down and simply took his seat. His father had been sentences the day before to the dementor's kiss. His mother had been cleared of all charges after several people stood up for her and claimed that she had been forced to act. The fact that she did not have a Dark Mark had been in her favor and she had been let go. Draco knew that he would have no such luck. He was of age and his Dark Mark shone brightly on his arm for the whole room to see.

The trial started and the questions began. There were very few before the sentencing started. "Mr. Malfoy, because of the crimes that you have committed under the authority of You-Know-who…." He was not able to finish because a voice cut in.

"Excuse me sir, but I do believe that it is time that we start using his name. Tom Riddle was an awful man, as we all know. He was an awful man who coerced young children to take his mark and do his bidding, and Draco Malfoy was one of those children. I know that you have been granting special treatment to those few who were underage when their transgressions started," Harry Potter said after rising to his feet. Hermione was stunned. If there was anything that she was expecting it had not been that. Harry was a compassionate soul, perhaps too much so sometimes, but this was more than she ever would have thought. She sat in stunned silence, as did most of the rest, waiting for the answer from the judge.

"Yes, well, Mr. Potter…." The judge seemed quite unsettled to have been interrupted and even more so when he saw just who had interrupted him. "Mr. Malfoy is an overage wizard who had performed many illegal acts and must be punished for these acts."

Harry was not deterred by what the judge had said. The judge was a portly man with a balding head and a sever demeanor. Harry stood his ground and continued, "I know for a fact that Draco Malfoy was an underage wizard when he was forced to participate in the activities that you are accusing him of. He was also underage when he was forced to receive that Dark Mark."

The judged stared at Harry for a long moment, and then looked around at the room; the Minister of Magic caught his eye. The two seemed to be exchanging silent words. Minutes passed with the room in perfect silence. The judge finally looked back at Draco and then at Harry and thought long and hard before he answered with his rebuttal, "Unless there is anyone else in this room that can corroborate this, then I have no choice but to finish with my sentencing." He seemed very confident that no one else would stand and speak out.

The room was so silent, that a pin could have been heard hitting the floor. Hermione took a moment to look at Harry, who still had not noticed her. She then looked down at Draco Malfoy, the boy who had tortured her all through her childhood. He looked so resigned. For the same unknown reason that she had showed up to the trial, she stood without a second thought. A few people noticed her stand, but it wasn't until she spoke that she got the attention of the whole room. It was one thing to have Harry Potter in the room, but to have two of the three young adults that had defeated the Dark Lord. Whispers flew around the room, but Hermione only had eyes for the man sitting in the middle of the room.

The words, "I stand for him," had barley left her lips before his head was snapping up and his eyes were boring into hers. She didn't smile and neither did he, but she could almost feel the relief that he felt as a tangible tingle on her skin. His eyes were wide, his lips slightly parted, and Hermione could see that he was flummoxed. His hair hung down nearly in his eyes. His silver eyes shimmered and shined with emotion as she tore her eyes away from him and look at the startled face of Harry and then the judge.

"I corroborate this allegation."

The room was once again silent. The judge looked once again at the Minister of Magic. Their faces gave nothing away and when the judge turned back to the audience, Hermione was surprised when he spoke, "Very well, Draco Lucius Malfoy, you will be given a sentence of two years of probation. The details will be explained to you by the men who escort you out."

Hermione watched as the two men who had led Draco in, each grabbed one of his arms and led him back out again. Hermione was not sure what the two years of probation entailed, but she was certain that it would be a world better than life in Azkaban, or The Kiss. Hermione shuddered at the thought, and turned to collect her bag. She slowly made her way out of the room before they brought in the next man or woman to be sentenced. She was not surprised when Harry caught up to her in the hall.

"You came," he said, but it was not really a question. It was a statement.

"Yes," she answered him shortly.

They looked into one another's eyes; for some reason no explanation was need as to why they had come.

"You stood for him," Harry murmured quietly. "Why?"

Hermione thought for a moment, in truth she really was not sure why she had done it. Maybe it was because so many young people had already been lost to the war. Maybe it was because she was too sentimental and thought that there might be a chance that Draco had not 'wanted' to do all the horrible things that he had done. Maybe it was because he had stalled and lied about Harry's identity at Malfoy Manor. Whatever the reason was, she was sure of one thing. She was relieved for some reason; she was relieved that she had saved him from rotting in Azkaban.

"For the same reason you did, I expect," Hermione answered walking side by side with him toward the fire places that would take them home.

Harry turned to her, causing her to stop in front of the large fire places.

"So, you have no idea either?"

Hermione nodded her head in agreement and grabbed some floo powder. Harry and Hermione said their goodbyes and agreed to meet for dinner sometime that week. Hermione stepped into the fire and stepped out on the other side, into her small flat on the outskirts of London. Harry had told her that she was free to live in Grimmauld Place with him and Ron, but Hermione knew that she needed her space. It had been hard after the war and with only a few short months having passed, she need to be alone. It was too hard to be surrounded by others grieving, when she really needed to grieve herself.

Hermione grabbed a book of the shelf, but she had a hard time concentrating on it. In her mind, all she could see was Draco Malfoy looking up at her as if he had never really seen her before.