Fury

Fury

Chapter Twelve

Walking on Broken Glass

After George left, Neville escorted her back to her cell. Another day or two passed, and she was brought out to meet the woman who would be her representative at the preliminary trial.

Miss Adela Sinclair was a young woman, pretty in a certain light, and completely sure of herself. She appeared to be George's age, or perhaps a little older, with straight white-blond hair that was kept carefully arranged at all times, very pale skin, and dark eyes that were surprising given her coloration.

She had a clipped way of speaking, and dismissed all of Cate's concerns with a wave of a hand and a glance at her paperwork.

"You will have absolutely nothing to worry about, Miss Moon. There is no proof that you are, in fact, the murderer, and a great deal of proof that you were the victim of werewolf tampering. I specialize in cases such as these. Now, when you are in front of the Wizengamot..."

Cate let the words wash over her, not really paying attention. She would deal with this meeting, and this woman, and go back to her cell, and no one would visit, and the day would begin again, and again, until the trial.

She interrupted Adela, as she had asked to be called, perhaps to gain Cate's trust. "When is the trial?"

Adela looked briefly annoyed at being interrupted, but answered the question. "You are scheduled to appear before the Wizengamot in four day's time. This is a preliminary trial, and will set the conditions of the actual trial, as well as determine if there is enough proof of criminal activity to warrant the court's attention. It is standard procedure, since the war."

Cate nodded, and went back to her daydreams.

~*~
The next four days passed in a blur. George stopped by once, to kiss her on the cheek and say that he had been unsuccessful in convincing her parents to come. None of her other friends- not that she had many- or family came, and the visit from George had been brief, so she spent much of the time alone, brooding.

They weren't allowed to send letters from the jail, but they were allowed to write. She had gotten several pieces of parchment and a quill, and attempted to write to her family. Every attempt ended with the quill punched through the paper and crumpled into a tiny ball, if it hadn't been shredded.

She had been betrayed.

This thought stayed with her through those four days. It had been something Adela said, about the Wolfsbane being tampered with and certain wards and fencing of the enclosure having been destroyed. It had to have been someone who knew her; the others in the compound had been kept confined, and their potions had worked.

Adela had also brought up the recent attacks to her apartment, and her cat. Cate had told her the story, and Adela had produced the Auror's report, something Harry had told her about but not shown her. Her apartment's security had been temporarily disabled, something that could only have been done with a sequence of spells that amounted to a code; only a very few people, all of them family, knew the code.

The bitterness built over the next few days. She could hear the Aurors talking, and sometimes laughing, as they walked down the hallway; she heard her name often enough to know it was about her. The only ones in the entire world who seemed to care what happened to her now were George, Ron, and Harry, and she wasn't sure about the last two.

They had no reason to help her, and yet...something said they were genuine. George especially should hate her now, but he had been her only visitor, only real friend, since this whole mess had started. She didn't want to think of the implications; Merlin's beard, they had only really known each other for a little over a month!

One crumpled parchment had been a letter to him, telling him to stay away, that she wasn't good for him, that he deserved so much more than her. That had taken an age to write, because she didn't really believe it herself, and then, after it was finished, signed, and sealed, it had taken another age to toss it in the corner with the other letters. She didn't want to lose him.

It was a hard thing to admit, even to herself, but she liked being liked. He had been nice to her without an expectations, and then, even after all of this, he was still nice. His family was wonderful; the brothers fun, the sisters friendly, and even his parents had been good to her. It was as unlike her own family as possible, though her cousins were certainly as playful.

Bitterness rose, swallowing her whole, and the only bright light in the entire affair was George.

~*~
She awoke the morning of the trial with back pain and bitter feelings. The cot they had given her was increasingly uncomfortable, but, the bitter, dark part of her said, it could be the last time she slept on it. They could send her to a more secure facility.

The Aurors gave her clean clothes, a shower, and escorted her to a waiting room, where Adela waited impatiently, tapping her feet in expensive shoes and rubbing the trim on her beautiful dark green robe. She looked stunning, and Cate felt like less than nothing next to her. As soon as the Aurors left, Adela regained her composure, and smiled at Cate in a tight, formal way.

"Do not worry about today, Miss Moon. I have everything under control. Thank Merlin they let you clean up first." The last was said under her breath, and she appeared embarrassed about saying it out loud. "Sorry."

Cate shrugged. "No worries." She couldn't even muster up the energy to care about the insult.

They had been waiting for nearly half an hour, which Cate took to be unusual, from Adela's clipped pacing and agitated paper shuffling.

Cate sat against a wall, on a protruding bench. She had been confident in Adela's abilities before, but now... "Are you alright?"

Adela jumped. "What? Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry. I've got everything under control."

Cate smiled grimly. "I see."

They both went back to their introspections, Cate staring at the grainy stone floor, Adela pacing in her high-heeled, unnecessarily expensive shoes.

~*~

It was another twenty minutes before a tall, bulky man wearing the plum-colored robes of the Wizengamot opened the heavy doors. He motioned her forward, and Adela launched herself through the doors, her client following at a slightly more leisurely pace.

The courtroom was much smaller than she had expected, with only a few seats behind a long, tall bench, another seat on a lower dais with a writing desk, and seating for a small audience. She was motioned to a chair with golden chains; a, narrow table stood next to it, with a chair that Adela took, motioning Cate towards the chair with chains. Another table sat on the other side, stacked with papers.

There were five members of the Wizengamot seated at the bench, four men and a woman, as well as another purple-robed clerk seated at the lower desk, quill and wand in hand. The four men were all severe looking, though they ranged in age from relatively young- her father's age- to much older, older even than her grandmother. The woman was middle-aged, Indian, with steel-gray hair and dark eyes and a slight tension around her full mouth. She sat in the center of the men and looked supremely annoyed. The clerk was a nondescript woman with mousy hair and downcast eyes, who somehow made the brilliantly purple robes look drab.

The seating behind Cate was packed with people. She could make out George's bright red hair; he sat about halfway back. There were several people holding quills and notepads who must have been reporters, and others wearing anti-werewolf clothing. She thought she saw Demetria Brooke, and possibly Vivienne Winslow, but wasn't sure. She knew for a fact that her family wasn't there; there was a reserved space, clearly labeled, and it was empty.

It felt like a circus. Cate thought she could understand the Wizengamot woman's annoyance.

Cate sat tentatively in the chair, but the chains didn't move. Sighing, she stared at her fingernails, wanting more than anything for this to be over with.

The woman spoke. "Order, please. This tribunal is to determine if a trial in the matter of Catherine Elizabeth Moon is in order. For the record, the participating members of the Wizengamot are David Agamaite, Liam Cameron, Coronus Maxwell, and Balthazar Greaves, under Head of Criminal Inquiry, Madame Kali Suresh, which is myself. Clerk is Miss Leona Anderson."

Adela stood up, brushing imaginary dust off of her robes. "Representing the interests of Catherine Moon, Adela Sinclair."

The doors were thrust open, and an older man, sporting wild salt-and-pepper hair that went in every direction and slightly frayed red robes, rushed into the room, a large stack of files in his arms. "Representing the interests of the Ministry of Magic, Archimedes Saunders!" The words came out in a rush as he nearly toppled the pile of papers waiting at his desk.

Madame Suresh looked peeved. "Mr. Saunders, you are late."

He looked up at her apologetically. "I apologize, Madame Head. Certain results have only just arrived."

Adela looked at her notes with dismay, and Cate felt her heart sink. If Adela didn't know what was going on, she had no chance.

Under the new Ministry regime, after the War, a lot of injustices had been corrected, mostly by the students who had been at Hogwarts for the past few years and had seen, first-hand, what the Ministry was doing to the populace at large, but also to individuals, namely one Harry Potter. Harry himself hadn't openly supported or opposed anything, but somehow the measures that he quietly championed succeeded, and the ones he quietly disliked wasn't passed. This included the system of justice in the Wizarding World, something that had been medieval in structure, with no real protection for innocents. Cate had been inclined to like it, but there were still some problems, things that, according to Hermione Granger, who worked in the Law Offices of the Ministry, Muggles had done for decades, if not centuries.

Cate was experiencing, first hand, some of the good of those changes, and some of the bad.

Madame Suresh listed the crimes that she had been accused of- a rather impressive list, as a matter of fact, even if most were relatively minor. The list was on a piece of parchment, and her voice grew darker with every word. "Charges are as follows: being an unregistered werewolf, refusing to register as a werewolf, bribing a Ministry official, refusal to submit to a Ministry review of circumstances, tampering with Wolfsbane Potion, tampering with a Werewolf Restriction Device, mutilating a dead body, failure to report a crime, resisting arrest, and the murder of Ares Edward Pagliano."

There were several gasps as she read the last charge. She looked up, eyebrows drawn low, and hissed, "Silence, please." She then set the parchment in front of her, crossed her arms, and stared down at Cate. "Mr. Saunders, present your evidence."

Saunders may have looked flyaway and unprepared, but he listed evidence off of his papers without having to look at them, stressing the important details, and giving witness names as if he had memorized the case. He was firm, concise, and no-nonsense; in fact, if he hadn't been proving that Cate had committed the crimes, she would have been very impressed.

Adela had turned green as Madame Suresh read the list, steadily changing to gray as Saunders began, and was fully white when he finished. Cate's confidence in her had declined as her color had gone, and she was now slouched in her chair, face set in an expression of shock.

Madame Suresh nodded when he finished, and the annoyed look had disappeared from her face. She turned to Adela, who visibly blanched. She stood, trying to control the shaking in her knees. Cate head spun; where was the young, confident woman of this morning?

Adela spoke slowly, haltingly, slowly gaining speed and confidence as she outlined how many, if not all, of the charges were circumstantial. She skirted around the issue of the non-registration; after all, it was Cate's duty to register, and she had clearly failed to do so. Adela spoke of several witnesses, most of them not family, who said that Cate was incapable of several of the crimes, even given her change. She brought doubt into the mind as she spoke of the tainted Wolfsbane and a set up; after all, several other registered werewolves had taken the potion, had watched her do it, and claimed no ill effects themselves, nor had they seen evidence that she had touched the potion before drinking it. No one had proof that she had done anything seriously wrong.

Cate felt her confidence in Adela growing as the young woman grew firmer in her statements, occasionally referencing a piece of paper or a file, but never having any doubt that she knew what she was doing.

By the time Adela had concluded, she was grinning and Cate was no longer white; in fact, she thought she might even had difficulty hiding a relieved grin herself. Madame Suresh, on the other hand, looked no more or less annoyed, and the other four judges were no less sober. It put a pall over Cate's mood, until she looked back at George.

He was smiling encouragingly, and waved a little at her. She waved back slightly as the five judges deliberated, and cameras flashed.

Madame Suresh spun in her chair, looking into the crowd with stern dark eyes. "We will recess until further notice. Miss Sinclair, Mr. Saunders, please join us in the recessing chamber. Miss Moon will remain seated."

There was a disturbance at the back of the room. Cate wasn't the only one to turn and look, but because she had to remain seated, she couldn't see much other than the back of people's heads. The crowd parted, and she gasped, unsure if it was in relief or shock.

Her grandmother, who hadn't actually left the Moon estate in fifteen years, walked up the aisle between rows in full dress robes, her steely hair neatly tied back in a bun. Her robes were purple and blue, with intricate designs around the hems. Cate had seen it a few times before, at funerals and weddings; it was the formal robe of the Head of the Family, in capital letters. Elspeth Moon looked fantastically in charge, from the top of her head to her shoes; even her cane, a necessary accessory, fit image. She stared straight ahead, ignoring her granddaughter and the stunned crowd.

Cate's father stood to his mother's right, just slightly behind her and looking out of breath. Hierophant's own hair, black and graying, was brushed back and neat, something she had never seen before. His robes nearly matched his mothers, with less embroidery and somehow more militant. He glanced at Cate quickly before fixing his eyes on the back of his mother's head.

On Elspeth's other side stood Cate's mother, looking cold and collected and as if she did not want to be there, and couldn't understand why anyone would want her there. She was tall and stately in her own robes of dark gray, her blond hair hanging loose to her waist, and her eyes cold and gleaming. Serenity spared a look for her daughter, and another for Madame Suresh, before gazing at a point somewhere beyond the five judges.

Elspeth spoke, calmly and slowly. "Madame Suresh, if I might have a word with you, please."

Madame Suresh looked surprised. "Madame Moon, I am in the middle of a hearing."

Elspeth's chin raised slightly. "This concerns the charges against my granddaughter. In private?"

Madame Suresh nodded, and motioned to a side door. Elspeth, Hiero, and Serenity all left through the door, followed by Madame Suresh and the other four judges. And then chaos filled the courtroom. A minute later, the door opened, and Coronus Maxwell stuck his head out. "Miss Sinclair, Mr. Saunders, please join us." It was said in a monotone, and the courtroom froze again.

Cate stayed rooted to the chair as the press and crowd talked amongst themselves. She didn't know what she was feeling: anger, despair, joy; any one of them fit. She didn't move for several minutes, until George pushed his way through and crouched on the ground next to her, grabbing her hand.

"Hey." His voice was low, and it sent a shiver up her back.

"They didn't visit, they say nothing to me, and now they act like they don't care." Cate heard the edge of hysteria in her voice and hated herself for it.

George squeezed her hand. "They do care; if they didn't, they wouldn't be here, would they?"

Cate sniffed. "They only care about the family name. There's very little they can do to salvage it, I expect."

George pulled her out of the chair and, ignoring the cameras and quills of the press, pulled her into a tight embrace. "Don't worry about it. Everything's going to be fine. I'm sure of it."

Cate inhaled, trying to believe him. "Promise?"

George nodded. "Absolutely. You'll go home with me, we'll have dinner, and then we'll go to bed, and tomorrow will be a better day. There's nothing to prove; you didn't do anything wrong."

"I'm not sure of that," Cate whispered into his chest.

He gripped tighter. "I am."

The door opened to the chamber, and first Adela and Mr. Saunders, followed by Cate's parents and grandmother, exited the room. The door closed behind them. Adela walked quickly over to Cate, frowning slightly as George refused to leave her side. "Your grandmother has offered a deal. They are deliberating on it as we speak."

Elspeth, Hiero, and Serenity stood primly along the wall, her grandmother leaning heavily on her cane. The press snapped pictures, and Mr. Saunders looked annoyed. Everyone waited.

The door opened again, and the judges trudged out, taking their seats. Liam Cameron looked angry, but accepting; David Agamaite looked extremely pleased. The other judges were much harder to read. Madame Suresh looked at George with one dark eye, saying, "Everyone be seated." Her voice was steel.

George kissed her quickly on the forehead and regained his seat. Cameras had snapped photos at every opportunity.

Madame Suresh looked firm. "It is the decision of this court that the charges of tampering with a Werewolf Restriction Device, mutilating a dead body, failure to report a crime, and murder are to be dropped, due to insufficient evidence against Miss Moon. The charge of bribing a Ministry official is also to be dropped, as there is clear evidence that Miss Moon herself did not commit this crime, and was indeed unaware of it. For the crime of resisting arrest, there is clear evidence that not only did Miss Moon not resist arrest, but prevented another individual from doing so on her behalf. On the charges of being an unregistered werewolf, refusing to register as a werewolf, refusal to submit to a Ministry review of circumstances, it has been brought to my attention that Miss Moon was a minor at the time of her biting, and that the case happened during the Second War, leaving Miss Moon without the option of submitting herself for registration. It was the duty of the parents or the school to inform the Ministry, and as neither happened, there will be an inquiry into their participation in this event. It is the decision of this court that these charges be dropped against Miss Moon, and that she is to go free, into the custody of her family, until such time that a review be completed of her circumstances. Court adjourned."

There was an uproar, and George raced to the front to sweep her up into a hug, spinning her around and laughing. Cate kissed him soundly, beyond pleased, and Adela looked relaxed and happy for the first time that day. The five judges left the room, and, after more pictures, the press followed them, hoping to get quotes or statements.

George set Cate on the ground, kissing her again, and Cate reached out and grabbed Adela into a hug, thanking her profusely. They were interrupted by Elspeth, who looked stern and forbidding.

"Come along, Catherine. We're going home."

Cate looked at her grandmother, confused. "What? I'm going home with George."

Elspeth nearly grimaced. "Did you not hear the judge's order? You are in our custody. As such, you will remain at Moon Manor until the inquiry is finished."

Cate crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm going with George," she said stubbornly, taking a step back.

Serenity sniffed and stalked out of the room, leaving her husband, mother-in-law, and daughter standing there, facing each other down.

Adela backed away. "Well, lovely to work with you, Miss Moon." And then she practically ran away.

George stayed strong. "She's been in jail. Let her come home with me, get cleaned up, and she'll see you tomorrow."

Elspeth turned her glare on him. "Young man, you are lucky if I let you see her at all. She will be returning with us, and that's final."

Cate looked at her father helplessly. He reached forward, pulled her towards him, and whispered in her ear for a moment. George watched the blood drain from her face, and then she turned, shakily, to him.

"George, I..."

He snapped his teeth together. "You're going with them," he said flatly.

She raised her chin, looking defiant and terrified. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "No. I am. Goodbye, Cate," he said, and stalked out of the room, leaving her staring after him with tears in her eyes.