They say time heals everything. But I'm still waiting.

The next morning, Nicole walked down the stairs having woken up early for once. She walked in the kitchen and right away the three inhabitants of the room could tell she was still upset. She looked like she hadn't gotten any sleep and her hair was a mess. Plus, there were faint tear marks on her cheeks. And Nicole wanted them to see all of this, so that they would feel bad and do something about it. She was only 17 after all, there was only so much she could so alone. Lyssa looked at her daughter and frowned, getting up from the table where she was sitting and walking to her. She pulled Nic into a hug and said, "You're really upset about this aren't you?" Nicole just nodded. Then Lyssa vowed to herself that she would fix this, as she didn't like to see Nicole upset, even if it meant pulling some strings and helping Vena.

Vena was at least releaived that she wasn't in Azkaban. She was actually quite surprised that they didn't just chuck her in there just because she was a Riddle. Which she wouldn't have put past them. She scowled as some person came and got her out of the cell thing. "I can walk," She snapped irritably, but she was ignored.

Once Lyssa had told Nicole that there would be a trial the girl was adamant about being there, much to her mum's dismay, but she should have expected it. If Nic could, she was going to stop anything bad at any costs. So there she now, sitting by her mum. Then some person brought Vena into the room.

Vena glanced around the room, she saw Nicole and the girl's mum and then her eyes flashed to the wizagamont. truth be told, she was actually quite nervous as to what the trial would bring. She didn't want to go to Azkaban. There was no way she was going there. The Ministry person took Vena over to the chair in the middle and she was forced to sit down. She frowned as the chains rattled and then looked her arms into the chair. "Is that really nessesary?" She asked the ministry person staring pointedly at the chains.

The ministry person ignored her, instead starting the trial. "October 23rd, on the trial of one Venomous Riddle, start time at approximately 3pm," the head official guy said.

Vena made a face at the use of her full name, she really did not like her full name. Not in the slightest. She looked at the guy, wondering what he was going to do, and how the trial was going to play out.

The ministry guy was quiet for a moment, then he picked up an official looking piece of paper. "Miss Riddle is being accused of aiding He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in his attempts to destroy the non-magical world and any who support it..." Then he went on to name a couple of other things (which Tsuki cannot think of right now) before looking directly at Vena. "Miss Riddle, how do you plead to these accusations?"

Vena found the fact that people didn't call Tom Voldemort rather stupid, it was only a name. What difference would it really make. "Not guilty," She said calmly looking right back at the man, whose formalness was annoying her.

Nicole sat in her seat messing with the edge of her jacket sleeve, not liking this a bit. The ministry guy really creeped her out. And she was worried for Vena and what would happen.

The ministry gut adjusted his glasses said a casual, "Oh really?" to Vena before going back to being official and carrying on. "Now to begin the process of questioning. Once this concludes the verdict will be voted upon, unless someone steps forward to add something in."

(guh that last bit sounded bad, but I needed an opening for Nic.)

Vena looked at him with a slight bored expression. This guy was irritating her beyond belief. She supposed that when the time came Nic would stand up and say something about her.Which was probably why the girl was there anyway.

The ministry guy cleared his throat for a second before speaking, once again, to Vena. "Miss Riddle, in the recent battle of Light and Dark, would you please explain why you were aiding the Dark side if you are going to plead not guilty to that of which you were accused, and furthermore while you so blatantly and easily injured several people."

Vena had to roll her eyes at how formal he wa sbeing. sure it was a formal case and that, but really. She looked at the man and instead of answer the question she said. "What proof do you have that I was indeed on the 'dark' side?" She raised an eyebrow at him, challengingly.

"Miss Riddle," the guy said, "you do not have the jurisdiction to be asking questions at this time. Now, answer the question properly."

Vena looked at him. "You can't say I was aiding the dark side if you have no proof to the fact that I was."

"There are several eye witness accounts that say you aimed your spells not at the Death Eaters, but at those opposing the Death Eaters," the guy said. "Now answer the question."

"I was defending myself," Vena said, wanting very much to whack the guy into a wall or something. "They attacked me first, so I defended myself. I didn't attack any Death Eaters because I didn't get a chance as the 'light' side was trying to attack me. If you did your research properly you would have noticed that no-one I sent a spell at died. I wasn't meaning them harm I was just trying to protect myself, because they thought I was on Voldemort's side."

The guy made a noise of thought for a moment. Then he asked, "And why, Miss Riddle, would they assume that you were on You-Know-Who's side unless you had given a previous reason for people to believe so?"

"Because I'm a Riddle," Vena said as if the guy was an idiot. Which he probably was. "In most people's minds thats enough justification for the fact."

The guy nodded at the answer. "Do you bear any sort of indication that you have ever supported that side?"

Nicole nearly laughed at the guy. Was it really so hard just to openly and easily ask 'do you have a mark?' Because last she checked it was easy to say and it didn't serve to confuse the hell out of people when you asked them, unless they got confused as to why you were asking in the first place, but that was a different matter.

Vena snorted. "No," She said. Which was partially the reason why she had refused to get a mark in the first place.The other reasons were that she wasn't a Death Eater and refused to be marked as such. And also to tell Tom that she was not going to everything he said.

(thistook my like an hour to write cause I was watching a movie and kept getting distracted.)

"Hm," the guy said, but didn't press that issue anymore. "What role, if any, did you play in the kidnapping of Nicolette Malfoy, and in the years following?"

Nicole perked up in her seat at the mention of her name. She could get up and say something here if things were to try and roll in a way that wasn't in Vena's favor. Forget waiting until it was called for.

"I didn't play a roll in her kidnapping," Vena said starting to get bored with all these questions. They weren't going to acheive anything. And what she had said was partially true. She hadn't even known the girl had been kidnapped until she had. "But," She continued seeig that the guy was not pleased with that answer. "I was put in charge of the girl, which included teaching her magic. Which," She added the which before that had a chance to sink in in his disfavour. "was for Nicole actually a good thing. If a Death Eater had been in charge of her I somehow doubt she'd be in one peice today. As unlikely as it seems, I actually kept her safe."

"It would have kept her safer to be at her home with her mother," the ministry guy said. This made Nicole frown. He did not know what he was talking about. If she had gone back home then she and her mum would probably be dead. "You're wrong," she said, just loud enough for everyone to hear her.

"Miss Malfoy," The ministry guy said. "You may not speak unless you have been called upon." Vena rolled her eyes slightly, she could tell what Nicole was going to say and looked at Nicole wondering if the girl would mind if she said it, so Nicole didn't get into trouble for speaking again. But knowing Nicole she wouldn't listen and just say it anway.

"I don't bloody care that I haven't been 'called upon' to speak," Nic said, rolling her eyes. "You're talking about me, and since I'm me, I have the right to talk if I bloody well want to. Now, are you going to listen to want I have to say, or are you going to annoy me to the point where I have to make you?"