Chapter 6

Chapter 6

DAPHNE GREENGRASS

Daphne Greengrass sat in her room reading through the various documents, The proceedings had been adjourned, though the trial was going better than her expectations. Ginny Weasley's testimony hadn't truly been needed, but it had gone a long way in building the whole narrative and exposing the intricacies of exactly what had happened.

Though she knew that it could also lead to the revelation of some other things as well, things that she knew Crovus wouldn't want to be made public.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and she looked up and glanced at the time. There was still time left before the court resumed, so who was knocking on the door?

"Who is there?" she questioned, and came a quick reply.

"It's me, Percy Weasley," she was surprised by this. She had known Percy Weasley before this case and had worked with him for some other cases previously. He was a decent person with good ethics, and she considered him a good lawyer despite being on opposite sides in this case.

"Come in," she said as she closed the folder and put it to the side. After all, she wouldn't want him to get a look at what she had in store. He entered her room, a folder in his hands, and she motioned for him to take a seat.

"Though it is a little too early to be offering a deal, but I wouldn't mind it," she joked and saw him smile as he shook his head.

"I am afraid your guess is wrong. I am not here for a striking a deal, but I wanted to ask you a questioned?" he said as he sat down opposite to her, making her frown.

"Ask me a question. Sure, though you will have to be quick about this because the proceedings are set to start in a couple of minutes," she reminded him as she pointed towards the clock. He nodded and passed the folder to her, she recognized the St.Mungo's logo on it and stilled.

She had a pretty good idea about what was in that folder, and she opened it and read the name on the file.

Astoria Greengrass

This file was perhaps the biggest reason why Crovus had ended up where he had. It was a source of shame for her as well.

"Where did you get this?" she questioned Percy sharply, and he just shrugged as he leaned back into the chair.

"I don't think matters, though what I find rather intriguing is that for some reason you are representing the same person who was responsible for killing your siste…." But she cut him off before he could finish.

"Do not finish that sentence, Percy!" she warned him, her eyes narrowed.

"Crovus was being controlled by the diary. He would never do anything to hurt Astoria ever," she said heatedly. A part of her hated her past self for ever thinking differently.

"You may say that, but the file says differently, and so do your friends who say that you threatened Crovus, telling him to stay away from your sister after this whole incident," he said, and she gritted her teeth, loathing herself for what she had done. But she had a chance to redeem herself, and she would do right by him.

"Percy, the truth isn't as simple as you think. Do not pursue this. Let it remain in the past. Crovus has suffered enough already," she implored him, though Percy didn't seem to take her seriously.

RING. RING. RING. RING.

The bell rang, informing them both that the proceedings were set to resume, and she saw Percy pick up the folder as he stood up.

"Percy, I am telling you, don't pursue this," but he was having none of it.

"I believe I have a pretty good idea about what the truth is. See you in court, Daphne," said Percy and walked out of her room, leaving her alone.

"DAMN! DAMN YOU WEASLEY!" she cursed the bastard, knowing that she could do little to stop him. After rampaging for an hour, she opened the drawer on her desk and took out a document she had wished she would never ever have to use.

0000

AMELIA BONES

Amelia Bones sat in her chair. The courtroom was once more filled to the brim as they all waited for the Defense Council to show up. She glanced at the clock and saw that a minute had passed, though she hadn't ever known Daphne to be late to the proceedings.

As she was thinking that, the doors to the courtroom swung open as Daphne rushed in with pacy steps, her gown flying behind her as she walked towards her desk.

She picked up her gavel and struck it at the paddle as the court stood up in respect.

"Let us resume the proceedings," she said and Percy Weasley stood up and walked to the center of the court, appearing way more composed than he had earlier, especially during his sister's testimony.

"The defense would have us believe that this semi-sentient diary created by Voldemort was the culprit of the Hogwarts petrifications and showed a rather intriguing interest in the accused," began Percy as he walked towards the accused.

"Yet this whole thing is based on conjecture, and I believe there is another side to this story," continued Percy as he pointed towards Crovus.

"The defense claims that their client, began to suspect Miss Ginny Weasley as the preparation for the attacks and because of this began to follow her for this reason. But what if his reason were something else, something far more sinister," added Percy, and she frowned and the whole court quieted down at this line of conjecture.

"What if he followed Miss Ginny Weasley not because he suspected her but because he recognized the object she held in his hands," and then it began to click.

"After all, we must not forget that the defendant is the son of Bellatrix Lestrange, one of Voldemort's closest associates, and given his heritage, it is highly likely that he was aware of the significance of this diary…" but before he could finish, Daphne cut in.

"Objection! Bellatrix Lestrange was imprisoned when Crovus was less than five months old. He had little to no contact with his mother until her eventual escape in ninety-five," and she nodded, and Percy Weasley raised his hand as well.

"Ok, but it must be noted that would then go on and grow up in the Malfoy household. And I don't think I need to tell the court about which side they were on in this war," said Lucius, and she saw Daphne grit her teeth as she sat down.

"Now, I believe that once Mr. Crovus saw that diary, he recognized its significance and tried to obtain it, thinking that he could somehow use it for his own gain. And let us consider this, why would this semi-sentient diary even be interested in an eleven-year old? And then, after obtaining the diary, he would try and use it for his benefit, supported by the major shift in the defendant's magical scores at Hogwarts between his first and second year," said Percy as he passed out a transcript of his scores which would go from being mediocre to being the best in the class in the span of a year.

"And let us not forget that when his friend Miss Astoria Greengrass tried to confront him about his activities and tried to stop him, the defendant attacked her. Injuring her so severely that it would worsen her already chronic condition leaving her bedridden," and the whole Court gasped and she saw Crovus Lestange pale a bit, as his fist balled up. This was perhaps the first reaction she had seen from the mysterious boy during the whole proceedings.

"My client is not on trial for this. What happened between Crovus Lestrange and Astoria Greengrass that night has nothing to do with this case," cut in Daphne quickly, but Percy wasn't letting this go.

"Wrong. You are the one who brought this up. Your client's actions at that time were clear indications of his sympathies for the Dark Lord he would go on to serve. After all, why would the Dark Lord, the most powerful wizard of his time, singulate on a single first-year student, ignoring the student who had brought his downfall," said Percy sharply. And she saw Daphne Greengrass hesitate to speak, making her frown.

"Crovus Lestrange was born to and raised by Death Eaters, he grew up idealizing the Dark Lord, and when he saw that diary he tried to obtain it, hoping to achieve greatness and prestige by using this semi-sentient remnant of the Dark Lord, and when someone close to him found out," at this Percy looked towards Crovus Lestrange who had become paler, and was looking down while he bit down on his lip.

"He tried to kill them; of course, he failed, but Astoria Greengrass was injured so severely that she would not even wake up for months."

"That is not what happened. The diary was a semi-sentient object. It controlled whoever wrote into it. You cannot assume my client's action…"

"But we are quite clear that Miss Ginny Weasley did give up the diary, then what was stopping your client from doing so as well." Retorted Percy.

"We have made it clear. Voldemort was more intrigued by my client and hence manipulated Miss Ginny to force her to let go of the diary," countered Daphne, but Percy shook his head.

"And why is that? You keep on saying that, but why was Voldemort so intrigued by a first-year? Why?" roared Percy, and she saw hesitation on Daphne's face as she opened and closed her mouth, making her frown. This was a clear indication that she was holding something back.

But what? And then, finally, Crovus Lestrange uttered his first words of the session.

"Because I have the same blood as him running through my veins," his voice had been low, but the words had stilled the whole court. Even Percy was perplexed and looked towards Crovus Lestrange with a complicated expression as the young man continued.

"The reason Voldemort was so intrigued by me was he created me for that very purpose. A vessel for his revival!"

0000

"AGHHH!" Astoria found herself waking up to the sounds of screaming. The voice of awfully familiar to her as she found herself lying on the floor. She opened her eyes and found herself staring at a strange dome-shaped roof, decorated with silver snakes embezzled into the stone.

"AGHHHHH!" the screams were visceral, and she suddenly recalled her last memory before she had lost consciousness. And she looked to the side and found Crovus lying there on the ground, screaming in agony.

"Crovus!" she called him out as she struggled to her feet and tried to rush towards him. But stopped as his head snapped towards her, his eyes mismatched, the red on one side being more dark and ominous as he shouted at her.

"RUN! GET AWAY!" he nearly screamed at her in panic.

"AGHHH!" his body then began to convulse, and she felt her heart race, not knowing what to do. She looked around and found herself in some sort of a cave, and right in front of her was a massive statue of a person with a Snake wrapped around him. She recognized that face immediately, she had seen some portraits similar to it in books as well.

It was probably Salazar Slytherin. And that meant.

"It's the chamber of secrets," she whispered, and then she was startled by a sweet voice.

"Ohh, she seems quite smart," and her eyes snapped towards the source, and she found herself looking at the smiling face of Crovus, though instinctively she knew that it wasn't him. The eyes, they were different, darker, and more ominous. As he took a step towards her, she stepped back.

"Who are you? What have you done with Crovus?" she questioned him.

"Ohh, not much. And I believe you must have heard of me. I am Tom," said this imposter with a small smile, before suddenly his face morphed into a grimace as he grunted in pain and dropped to his knee.

"RUN ASTORIA! GET THE TEACHERS! JUST GO!" this time, the voice lacked the sweetness from before and was more reminiscent of her childhood friend.

"ENOUGH!" suddenly the old voice roared, and she felt those dark orbs land on her.

"He must care for you quite a bit to struggle against me like this. He was quite easy to control otherwise," continued the imposter, as she continued to step back.

"Who are you?" she questioned again, her heart racing as she struggled to understand what was going on. For it seemed like something else was controlling her friend's body. No, it was someone else more accurately.

"Ohh, didn't I introduce myself? Haa, but of course, you would be more familiar with my other name," he said as he took out his wand and began to write his name.

"I am Tom Morvollo Riddle, or as you may know me, the greatest wizard this world has ever seen," and he then waved his wand as the letters of his name began to rearrange themselves.

"VOLDMEORT!" she read out in a shaky voice and saw a sinister smile appear on his face.

"Yes, many believe that I died that night eleven years ago. Yet they forget that I am the Greatest wizard of all time. I have conquered death itself!" he roared in a triumphant tone, his voice thundering throughout the cave.

"And now, with this body, I will be able to rise up once more," and then it all clicked, Voldemort had somehow gained control of Crovus's body and was controlling him. She reached for her wand, and then before she could pull it out.

"Expelliarmus!" the wand flew out of her hands, falling to the ground behind her with a clack.

"Tsk! Tsk! So rude," he said as he pointed his, or more accurately Crovus's wand at her.

"You do know you are quite special to him. Had it not been for you, I would have been able to fully control him by now. Yet for some reason, you are the lynchpin holding me back from gaining full control, and now it is time for me to put an end to this nuisance," he said in a sweet voice, as his wand lit up, as her heart thundered in her chest. She tried to move back, but her legs refused to follow her commands, and she found herself stuck as the wand in front of her lip up in an ominous green hue.

"AVADA KEDAVR…"

And she closed her eyes.

0000

Hermione Granger and Harry Potter found themselves standing in front of the gorgyle that led to the Headmaster's office. The school had opened again, the damage from the war repaired, and students loitered in the Halls as things normalized after the tense years of the war.

The halls brought a sense of joy and anxiety to the young witch, for this was the place where everything had begun. The good and the bad, and thought things were returning to normal for the rest of the world. She wasn't that lucky, and neither was her friend.

She looked to the side and found her friend by her side, Harry had a pensive and complicated expression on his face. His hesitance was evident by the way he held himself back from saying the password, knowing that this one conversation could change everything.

She was anxious as well, for after all, the insinuation made by Daphne implicated the man behind this wall, the man whom she and nearly all the magical world considered a hero. In the end, she knew they had to do it. So, she stepped forward, and gulped down as she whispered in a low voice.

"Toxic Wastes!" the Gorgyle sprung into action at her words, twisting and turning as it revealed the small staircase that led to the Headmaster's office. She looked to the side and gave Harry a nod as they both began to make their way towards the wooden door.

Though before they could knock on the door, they were opened by someone from the inside. She looked up and saw the newly appointed Headmistress of the school, one of the oldest Professors, her own transfiguration professor, Minerva McGonagall, staring at her with a conflicted smile.

Her already thin face had thinned more, and she didn't miss the grey hairs sticking out of her hat.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Granger," she greeted them warmly, though she didn't miss the hint of tenseness and sadness in her tone.

"It is good to see you, Professor," Harry answered as she said the same words, and then she sighed and motioned for them to come inside.

"Come in. He has been expecting you."

0000

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