Fudge rounded on Hermione. "Did you write this letter?"
Hermione's eyes were almost wild as she gasped out, "Yes, but--"
"So were you lying in your letter to Wizard Family Services, or have you been lying to the Hogwarts' Board of Governors today?"
"Neither! I changed my mind--"
Fudge made a scoffing noise. "So you say now."
Hermione planted her hands on her hips. "I was worried that Malfoy was hurting Harry, but Wizard Family Services came and investigated and it turned out I was wrong, completely wrong--"
"So you admit that your judgment of your peers has been erroneous in the recent past!" declared Fudge in a tone of triumph. "Then why should we trust your judgment here today?"
"It's not a judgment that Malfoy wasn't on those stairs, Minister," Hermione icily returned. "It's a matter of fact."
"As it's a matter of fact that Wizard Family Services has received a letter from you detailing numerous bruises and injuries suffered by Harry Potter while living with little to no exposure to anyone save Mr. Malfoy and Professor Snape! As the professor is most certainly above all suspicion, what are we to think except that it must have been Mr. Malfoy causing said injuries!"
"Minister," Dumbledore sternly inserted, "I believe the record should reflect that Mr. Malfoy was cleared in that matter."
"Oh yes, he's rather good at getting himself cleared, isn't he?" sneered Fudge. "Wizard Family Services seemed willing to believe that Harry Potter had been injured playing... rugby with Mr. Malfoy, I believe the report reads. A Muggle sport. A story so patently false that I'd be surprised if a single governor here believed it."
The words had the desired impact; already, Harry could see several of the witches and wizards seated at the table shaking their heads at the idea of a pure-blooded Malfoy engaging in Muggle rituals, as one wizard put in in a hushed, sceptical tone. Lucius himself gave a deprecating little laugh, just as though the notion were absurd and he was frankly embarrassed that anyone would give it the slightest credence.
Harry felt a headache coming on as he sat there. He'd been so sure that Ron and Hermione could settle the matter of whether Draco had been seen on the Owlery stairs... he'd forgotten that Hermione's earlier complaints about Draco could come up. But how did Lucius Malfoy even know that WFS had conducted an investigation? Where had he gotten the blasted letter? Shouldn't a matter like that be held in confidence?
Steyne, Harry thought bleakly as the answer came to him. The Slytherin WFS worker out to feather his own nest. Lucius Malfoy would pay dearly for any information related to Draco or me, any information at all. Steyne's probably been on Lucius' payroll all along!
"Anything else for these witnesses?" asked Fudge. When no questions were forthcoming, he turned a frosty gaze on all four students. Harry noticed there were no thanks offered Ron and Hermione. "Dismissed, then. Now, if the Head of Slytherin House has no more witnesses to spring upon us, I would like to call the mother of the victim."
"Point of order," murmured Snape in a thoroughly civil tone. "I believe I speak for all of us when I say that no-one could fail to empathise with Mrs. Parkinson's loss. Still, I fail to see her relevance to these proceedings. She was not present at Hogwarts on the day in question."
"Nor will she give testimony as though she were," Fudge said, glaring at Hermione's retreating back. "Some witches have more honour than to perjure themselves!"
"Minister!" admonished Dumbledore, shaking his head.
Fudge ignored the reprimand, as well he might. Board members were nodding at each other as though his words made sense. "Mrs. Parkinson has asked leave to address the Board and I for one will not refuse a grieving mother such a request."
It took a moment for Pansy's mother to appear. When she entered, she was dressed in black mourning robes, a soot-grey veil over her face. She walked forward slowly, as though each step pained her, and came to stand just a few feet from Draco, who avoided looking her way.
A weak, shuddering motion of her hand lifted the veil away from her face.
No tears and sobs, not now. Mrs. Parkinson's cold gaze swept the room, resting momentarily on Draco before she returned her attention to the Board.
"Madam," said Lucius Malfoy in a kind tone devoid of any sarcasm. In fact, Harry had never heard him sound so earnest. He couldn't help but find that creepy in of itself. "May I extend my condolences? No parent should have to endure what you have suffered."
She nodded her thanks, then kept nodding as each Board member, following Malfoy's lead, spoke briefly about her loss.
"I understand you wished to address the Governors?"
"Yes, Minister Fudge." The woman pulled a handkerchief from the pocket of her mourning robes and dabbed at the corners of her eyes even though she wasn't crying. "I come here today to speak for my daughter, who cannot speak for herself. This boy, this horrid, nasty boy who has dined at my table and slept in my house... I beg you to look at him and see how he sits before you now without a shred of remorse, without the slightest trace of shame for this awful thing he has done--"
Snape abruptly stood up, his chair making a scraping noise that cut across Mrs. Parkinson's words. Harry somehow doubted that was an accident. "Would the Minister kindly remind the witness not to assume Mr. Malfoy's guilt?"
Before Fudge could say a word, Mrs. Parkinson was rounding on Snape, her teeth clenched. Until she started yelling, that was. "You should be ashamed as well, Severus, defending this excuse for a Slytherin! Except that we know where your loyalties lie, don't we? You were her Head of House, too! She was your prefect! And you could not be bothered to so much as make an appearance at her funeral! But why should that surprise any of us? If you had any true loyalty to Slytherin, you'd never have taken Draco Malfoy in! He hexed my daughter right into the critical cases ward at St. Mungo's, and what did the Head of Slytherin do about it? Gave him an opportunity to stay on at Hogwarts' regardless. And look at what has happened as a result of that ill-informed decision, Minister, just look! Don't you tell me not to assume guilt!"
"I would like the Board to be aware that Professor Snape was absent from Miss Parkinson's funeral in order to see to the needs of Slytherin House," Dumbledore said in a mild voice as he looked over the top of his half-moon spectacles.
"Yes, they had all fallen ill; it was reported," murmured the pipe-smoking witch.
"Rather conveniently ill," said Mrs. Parkinson. "Just as the original Aurors sent to investigate fell ill so that they could be replaced by Draco Malfoy's relative. And you expect me to take their findings seriously!"
The old witch in the yellowed lace leaned forward. "Madam, I am very sorry for your loss as I said before. But the purpose of this hearing is not to malign Magical Law Enforcement or cast aspersions on Professor Snape."
"Quite right, quite right," echoed the short wizard seated next to Fudge.
When Harry saw that several other wizards were nodding, he started to feel better. It would be all right. The Board wasn't daft enough to expel Draco when the Ministry itself had basically declared him innocent of the charges.