Harry paced across the Slytherin Common room- for once, everyone that knew Harry was united. 

All of Harry's close friends and the Slytherins Draco was close with were gathered, trying to console both Harry and themselves. It had been a full day since Draco had been detained- Harry thought the questioning would have been done around the same time his own was, give or take a few hours, but it wasn't.

The Prophet had released an article this morning. They were officially out to the whole public. Harry had been receiving mail non-stop and been barraged by everyone within the castle asking if he was 'okay' and offering support. He wished he could say they were talking about dealing with the questioning and missing Draco, but he knew that a lot of them believed the rubbish that the Prophet published. 

"He's fine, Harry," Hermione sighed for what seemed like the millionth time. "It's the ministry, they're not going to do anything to him. I'm sure he'll be back soon with an explanation in hand."

That night, Harry had contacted the ministry, which simply informed Harry that Draco was on a 'Need-To-Know' basis and completely inaccessible by anyone that wasn't involved with the ministry. 

Pansy and Blaise had even tried to cheer Harry up by offering him alcohol, but Harry just morosely sipped at a beer, Ron and Hermione at his side and Pansy and Blaise looking awkward on the couch across from him until he wandered into the Slytherin dorms and fell asleep in Draco's bed, holding his discarded shirt from the previous morning to his chest.

It took another twenty-four hours for Harry to finally hear from anyone, and when he did, he immediately went to find Ron, Mione, Pansy and Blaise.

"I got a call from an Auror," Harry blurted out, his words tumbling over each other in his eagerness to get them out. "I'm seeing Draco tonight. Kind of. I'm- He's going- It's... His appeal. Before the judge. I'm not allowed to talk to him during or before or anything but if all goes to plan he'll be coming back to the castle after. It's a veritaserum trial before a judge."

x

Draco was beyond pissed. 'It'll just be a few hours' they'd told him, 'you'll be back to your normal life soon' they'd said. Bull fucking shit!

But, he was finally being escorted down the halls, two Aurors aggressively hauling him by his arms as if he was resisting- which he wasn't. 

For the second time, Draco Malfoy was strapped into the chair, facing the judge. It wasn't the same one he'd had prior- those were war crimes. This was just suspected blackmail and potential manipulation, maybe black magic. 

The audience wasn't nearly as full as it had been previously- now it was just reporters, all of which were probably only there because their Savior was involved, and a few people who most likely just didn't have anything better to do with their lives. 

He sighed as the Aurors roughly strapped him down, and the judge called order to the room, silence falling over everyone. Cameras occasionally flashed, making Draco sneer. Screw reporters and their damned need for drama and causing problems. 

"Can I have an alchemist confirm that this is, indeed, veritaserum?" A judge asked, holding up the vial that had been left at his desk.

A small mousey looking man scrambled over, preforming a few trials on the liquid before nodding, leaning into the microphone. 

"Alchemist Brewster here confirming that this potion is, indeed, professional grade veritaserum."

Murmurs and cameras flashed as the judge nodded, turning to face Draco as an Auror took the veritaserum and carried it down towards him. 

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, age eighteen, am I correct?"

"Yes sir." Draco could feel his heart rate pounding out of his chest, despite knowing he was innocent. 

"A legal adult now- not like your previous trials." The judge peered over the top of his glasses. "I have it here in your file that you consent to questioning under veritaserum; can I get an oral confirmation of that?"

"Yes, sir; I do consent to the usage of veritaserum for this trial."

Murmurs went around once more, and the Auror uncorked the vial and held it up to Draco's lips. He drank quickly, shuddering at the feeling that seemed to strip his body clean like a potent bleach through his veins. 

"Auror Dunmer, can I get a confirmation that the veritaserum was ingested just now?"

"Yes sir," the Auror replied, bringing the vial back up to the judge, who examined it before nodding once more. 

"Perfect. Now, Draco Malfoy, I will ask you your full name and date of birth to confirm that the Veritaserum is working."

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, born June fifth, nineteen-eighty."

"Good." The judge took note of this on a piece of parchment. "Now, Draco, I am judge Sidgens, but lawyer Killian will be doing the questioning. If the questioning gets irrelevant, I will redirect the question before you have to answer. Does that sound fair?"

"Yes, sir, it does."

"Good. Killian?"

The lawyer stepped forward, clearing his throat. "We are here today due to suspicions the public has made against you. It was enough that the law had to be brought into it. Do you understand that this is why you are here today?"

"Yes."

"Do you think this is fair for the people to worry?"

Draco was slightly surprised by his own answer, but he was under veritaserum. There was no lying. "Yes, I do."

 "Why do you think it's fair that you were brought here under the suspicions of the public? Do you think you are guilty of the crimes you've been accused of?"

"No, I don't think I'm guilty, but I can understand the fear. The war wasn't too long ago, and I was involved in that war- the wrong side of it. I've been tried and suffered because of those actions, and it's very well known what my role in all of that was. I can understand why my motives with Harry Potter may be questionable, especially to those who have only seen what's on my record or heard rumors of, but I can say with absolute certainty I have nothing negative in mind when it comes to my motives with him."

"You mentioned motives- do you have a motive with Harry Potter? Are you trying to gain anything from him or being in a relationship with him?"

"Nothing nefarious. I want to live my life and I want him to live his. If he didn't like me, we'd be doing those things separately. I just want to be with him, and circumstances led us to be together."

"What exactly do you plan to do with your life after school?"

"I want to become a lawyer that specializes in cases with minors."

"Are you studying for the Wizarding's Advanced Law Entry Exam alongside participating in usual classes?"

"I am."

"Why do you want to specialize in clients that are not yet of age?"

"I don't want kids to grow up like me and my peers did. If I can get kids out of bad homes, I want to be the lawyer that can help with that."

"Grow up like you and peers? What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Getting off track, Killian," the Judge interjected. "This has nothing to do with matching interrogation claims or the case."

"Oh, very well. Mister Malfoy, since the war, have you used any sort of black magic? Any spells that could be illegal?"

"As my wand history will show, no, I have not. My wand is already closely monitored due to the war, anything nefarious would have sent up red flags across the ministry."

"Records Holder, can we get a reading of some of the spells Mister Malfoy has used in the last month, just to confirm none of them could have been used with ill intent?"

A new man stood, clearing his throat as he held up a stack of papers. "Everything Mister Malfoy has said so far has been true. There are no spells with ill intent in him. Cleaning charms, hovering charms, summoning charms, a few defensive spells that line up with his school classes and have been confirmed by the professor to have been practiced that day, the only thing that could possibly be brought into question is the usage of lubrication charms, and in that case the only question is of what they were used on, and if it was done on a person, if it was done with consent. If Killian would ask questions relating to that?"

Killian nodded, turning to Draco. "So, Mister Malfoy, you heard the records holder Hasley. Who were the lubrication charms used on?"

"Once, a stuck door in the dungeons. The others on Harry."

"And would you say that those were cast with consent of him?"

"I would confidently say so, yes. Anything that was done, was done with extreme caution towards the lines of consent that inevitably become blurred when Secondary Genders are involved. We both took many precautionary measures to ensure that those lines were not crossed, even when in heats or ruts."

"Do we have records from Harry Potter's interview that say similar?" Killian asked, looking towards Hasley. 

"Harry Potter," Halsey spoke, "sent in sheets of parchments where the two wrote down things that they would agree to do and things that they would withhold from during one of Harry's heats. Signature matching the lettering confirms they were both written by the indicated person."

Despite the embarrassing situation, Draco was relieved that Harry had the foresight to think of that. He honestly didn't even know Harry still had them.

"And you followed these boundaries, Draco Malfoy?"

"I did."

Killian nodded to Halsey, the records keeper, who sat back down. "Mister Malfoy, you, being an Alpha, have the ability to control hormone outputs that often can be used to manipulate Omegas- especially ones who are new to their secondary gender. Do you have the ability to control hormone outputs?"

"I do, yes."

"And have you ever done it with intent to harm or control Harry Potter?"

"Never, sir."

"Going back to motive," Killian spoke, "is there any possible thing you could benefit from being in a relationship with Harry Potter?"

"I'm sure there are plenty that anyone could benefit from being in a relationship with him, but those are not why I'm with him."

"Do you have any association with any ex death eaters?"

"My mother and my friends from school."

"Do they wish any ill intent on Harry Potter?"

"As you should know, my friends and I defected to aid The Light in the war, and my mother is the one who lied for Harry's sake so that he could kill Voldemort. To question their allegiance to either Harry or me is insulting."

Killian nodded slowly. "Then why are you with Harry?"

"The same reasons anyone gets in a relationship willingly. I love him."

Gasps rang out around the room, cameras flashing far more aggressively now. Draco squinted to block out some of the light that threatened to blind him.

"When did you realize that you 'loved' Harry Potter?"

"A few months ago."

"At this time you were still considered rivals, yes? What made you realize that you didn't hate him, and rather loved him?"

"I never hated him. We fought, but it was a petty childhood rivalry. I realized I loved him after we grew close by the force of secondary genders. He... Struggled... With coming to terms with being an Omega. Circumstances drew us together and we ended up spending most of our time together to cope with the struggles that come with being an Alpha and Omega, alongside our struggles from the war and turbulent childhoods. He... Understood me, and I, him."

Killian glanced at the judge Sidgens. "Is there any other questions you'd like me to ask, Judge? I believe we've gotten all the information we need for this trial to be concluded."

The judge thought for a moment before turning his attention to Draco. "Do you think Harry Potter loves you back, Draco Malfoy?"

"I..." Draco paused, and he wasn't quite sure why. "I think so. Yes."

"And if he didn't, would you pursue him beyond his comfort?"

"No. I am in the believe that if you're willing to make someone uncomfortable for your own feelings, that's not love, it's obsession. I am not obsessed with Harry Potter. I just genuinely love him and want the best for what's both him and I. If it's not destined for us to be, then it's not. It's not his fault nor anything I would hold against him. I am... Not easy to be with, considering my history, my past, the things I have done. If he didn't want to be with me, I would understand, and I have already come to terms with that fact."

Cameras were still flashing when the judge banged his gavel. "There is no reason for anyone here to leave feeling that this man, Draco Malfoy, could have committed any crime against Harry Potter. All charges dropped. Draco Malfoy, you are free to go. Auror Dunmer will give you the antidote and once the Aurors clear you, you are free to go home."

Draco let out a relieved breath and rather felt like sobbing. "Thank you, sir."

The antidote given and the Aurors unstrapping him from the chair, Draco was led out the doors and given a bunch of paperwork to sign, then told he was free to walk out the front doors. 

Taking a deep breath, he finally pushed the doors open- only to be immediately bowled over by a familiar short body with dark hair. 

Draco couldn't help but laugh, picking up his lover and spinning him around in a circle. "Hello, my love. I'm so sorry I was gone so long."

"I missed you," Harry mumbled into his chest, and Draco didn't even care that there were reporters taking pictures all around them, he just loved his boyfriend too much and it had been too long since he'd seen him. 

"I missed you too. Were you waiting out here for me?"

"Yes- I went to the trial."

Draco's cheeks flamed pink. "Oh. I didn't see you."

"I was disillusioned. I didn't want to distract you. You did so good."

"I just told the truth- kinda had to, with veritaserum in my system."

"Still." Harry looked up at him, still wrapped around Draco in a vice grip. "Everything you said... It was so sweet. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Harry," Draco smiled, leaning down and capturing Harry's lips in his own.

He still didn't care about the cameras or the press. They could say whatever the fuck they wanted. 

He had his love in his arms, and that's all he needed.

2.4k words! I know this feels like a closer chapter, but there are a few more chapters to send out before this book is finished. Sorry about the long chapter of just dialogue, but I thought it fit the style. Hope you enjoyed! Love y'all! <3