Prompt 3 - Judge
@jeggyverses-jegulus-microfic May 3, Word count 749
CW - Mentions of child abuse and punishments
“Mr Black, the charges against you are extremely serious,” the judge barked. “You must cooperate, or I shall be forced to pass sentence as I see fit.”
“No one’s stopping you,” Regulus scoffed, lolling in the box. They’d find a way to sentence him; he wasn’t about to make it easy for them.
“Back to your seat, Mr Black,” the judge sighed. “Does the accused have any character witnesses?”
“Yes, Your Honour,” Regulus’s terrible barrister said, sweat dripping down his brow. Regulus was contemplating taking a nap, getting found in contempt just to get himself out of the courtroom for the rest of the day, but then he saw who was entering the box, and he sat up straight.
"Why the fuck is he here?” he hissed.
“He was the only one credible enough who was also willing to testify for you.”
Regulus groaned and slid down his chair until his chin was resting on the desk in front of him.
“Mr Black, sit up!” The judge ordered, and Regulus begrudgingly pushed himself up, smiling tightly at the judge. “Mr Potter, please proceed.”
“Regulus Black is a misunderstood man. His upbringing was anything but ordinary. He was punished severely for the tiniest thing that displeased his parents. His body is covered in scars as evidence of their cruelty.”
“Would you be willing to show us these marks, Mr Black?”
“Not on your Nelly,” he spat, glaring at James for bringing up something so private that so few people knew about.
“His brother, Sirius Black, has allowed me to show these photos of his own scars; Regulus’s are similar.”
The screen beside James lit up with photographs of his brother’s naked body. He swallowed the lump of emotion back down as he fought to control himself. The photos changed slowly from one to another, sometimes zooming in on a particular scar.
“STOP IT!!!” he screamed, jumping to his feet, his chest heaving with panic. “STOP IT!!!”
“His parents broke him and brainwashed him into doing what they wanted him to do. Regulus Black had no choice but to do what they ordered, or he faced these consequences,” James continued, his eyes burning into Regulus’s. “The few times he tried to get out, the punishments were so bad he stopped trying. His hospital records speak for themselves, but where they say traffic accident and drunken brawl, what they should really say is that he stayed out a minute after his curfew and was beaten so badly he couldn’t eat solid food and saying no to his mother just once and having his arm broken as a consequence. I thoroughly believe that if Regulus Black had had a normal childhood or at least had left at the same time his brother did, he wouldn’t even be in this courtroom.”
“Thank you, Mr Potter,” the judge said before turning his attention to Regulus. “Anything to say, Mr Black?”
But Regulus couldn’t answer; he was shaking too badly. He couldn’t breathe. He had to get out.
He got to his feet and tried to leave the courtroom, but two guards caught him by the arms and dragged him back.
“No! Please!” he gasped as he tried to fight them off. “I need… I need…”
Two familiar hands cradled his head, and warm hazel eyes filled his vision.
“Breathe, love, in and out, just breathe.”
He followed the instructions, the panic slowly ebbing away. His eyes filled with tears, and he was too tired to force them away. They fell thickly and dripped noisily onto his black trousers.
“I think we’ll call it a day there,” the judge ordered, banging his gavel on the bench. “Court dismissed.”
The guards took Regulus’s limp arms and pulled them behind his back, securing his hands with cuffs. He let them drag him to his feet and take him back to his cell.
He looked up at the judge’s bench and caught the judge’s eye. The stern man looked at him with pity on his face before disappearing into the judge’s chambers. Maybe he should fight, just to wipe that look off the judge’s face.
The guards were gentler than they had been when they dropped him off at his cell. One made sure he was lying down on the little cot. His eyes drooped closed, and before the cell door was even locked, he was fast asleep, the day’s court proceedings having drained every ounce of energy he possessed. Hopefully, tomorrow would go better, though he doubted it.
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