“We were simply telling Mr. Potter the charges,” Otho obviously tried to reassure Draco. It took everything for Kendis not to glare at the man, but they barely managed to keep hold of their temper.

“Lady Black should not have been brought here without her attorney,” Draco said smoothly as he walked over to sit in the empty chair next to her. “That is against protocol.”

“You said your name was Draco Malfoy, right?” The younger man shot a suspicious look first at Draco, then at Kendis. “Weren’t you that Death Eater who got released on a technicality?”

If that slight had any impact on Draco at all, Kendis couldn’t tell. His face was smooth and serene as he dusted imaginary lint from his sleeves. “Not all of us were perfect during school. And unlike everyone else in this room, I clearly didn’t peak in secondary school.”

The younger man narrowed his eyes but took a deep breath. “Are you even licensed in the United States, Mr. Malfoy?”

“I am,” Draco nodded as he took a seat beside her.  “The moment my client immigrated to America, I took the necessary steps to secure my licence. I also found it convenient to be licensed in as many countries as possible. Now, if we are quite done quibbling over my credentials, can we get to the point that my client’s house was invaded and she was arrested without access to counsel?”

“Then you should know that your client has violated our most sacred law,” Cletus said. “She revealed the existence of the wizarding world to a Muggle.”

“A Muggle she married,” Draco corrected. “There are stipulations that allow disclosure to a spouse.”

“As I told Mx. Black, the proper forms were not filed within thirty days, so her marriage is not considered valid,” Otho said. “And if convicted, she will spend the rest of her life in The Harrows, and the Muggle will be Obliviated.”

Draco said nothing. He just stared at the two of them with his hard grey eyes. Kendis stared too because these men were fully prepared to send her to prison.

They didn’t know much about The Harrows, but from the little they’d heard from Isiah and the few other Americans they knew, it was just as bad as Azkaban—the only difference was the lack of Dementors. And these men were prepared to send her there for the rest of her life simply because she had fallen in love with a famous Muggle.

“The MACUSA knows and appreciates Lady Black’s contribution to the global Wixen community, and it would be unseemly for a person of her caliber to be sent to The Harrows.” Cletus sighed and then exchanged a long look with Otho. “As such, we are willing to bargain.”

Draco steepled his hands on the table and leaned forward. “Do tell.”

“The MACUSA is willing to let this go if Lady Black breaks off all contact with Mr. Stark,” Otho said. “And she would submit to house arrest for a year.”

“Just enough time for the press to forget about this whole unfortunate situation,” Cletus added with a smirk. “And then this will all be water under the bridge.”

Kendis felt their heart squeeze in their chest because these men were demanding that she leave Tony. And to make it worse, Tony would be Obliviated. It reminded her all too much of the desperate offer she gave Chester back at the theater.

At the time, Kendis would have given anything to save Tony, even his memories. But now they knew they could never have gone through with it. In hindsight, Kendis knew that stripping Tony of his autonomy was not only wrong but a deep violation of his trust.

And even if memory charms had improved, Kendis still despised the practice. Gilderoy Lockhart had shown them how easily a single memory charm could destroy someone’s entire life.

Hell, she hadn’t completely agreed with Hermione stripping her parents of their memories of her during the war. There had been many a heated fight over Hermione’s decision.

Kendis felt rage boil in their veins at the thought that these men would walk up to Tony and violate him in such a way just because he had married her.

“If you touch a single hair on my husband’s sodding head,” Kendis said through gritted teeth, “I promise you, you’ll regret it.” The lights around them flickered, and the temperature of the room started to drop.

Draco turned to give them a quelling look, and Kendis closed her eyes. She did her best to get her tempestuous emotions under control.

“I find it curious that you would offer this deal to Lady Black behind closed doors,” Draco said with a sly grin. “It makes me wonder what the true motive of the MACUSA is.”

Cletus spluttered. “How dare you!”

“No, if you had enough to convict her, you wouldn’t have gone through this whole display. You had the MACUSA take her in the dead of night and interrogate her without counsel.” Draco shook his head. “I think that you are terrified.”

“Terrified, Mr. Malfoy?” Otho asked drolly. “What does the ruling body of the American wizarding government have to fear from Lady Black?”

“Mr. Stark is quite famous. His fame has even managed to leak into Wixen spaces.” Draco shook his head. “And if Lady Black is married to this Muggle, she will be under increased scrutiny. You think Lady Black’s marriage will reveal the existence of the Magical World.”

The younger man just stared back at Draco, but the other man stood up. “Now see here, Mr. Malfoy!”

“Shut up, Cletus!” Otho ordered and then shot Draco and Kendis a suspicious look.

“It would be in the best interest of both you and your client to take this deal.”

“I think not,” Draco said as he stood to his full height and brushed off his spotless grey robes. “When is her bail hearing?”

The two men exchanged a look, but it was Auror Buckling who answered. “In two days.”

“No.” Draco shook his head as he gripped his cane. “That won’t do at all. Wake up a judge immediately. I want her seen tonight, or the President will be getting a call from Minister Abbott.”

***

Draco was as good as his word, and three hours later Kendis was being shoved in front of a very cranky and sleepy Judge Bitterwood. He glared at them and then down at the paperwork on his desk.

“Do you realize how serious these charges are, Mx. Black?”

“Yes, sir,” Kendis said as they stood in the courtroom. Draco beside them was a constant pillar of strength. And Merlin, if Kendis could tell their sixteen-year-old self that one day they would find comfort in Draco’s presence, their younger self would have tried to get them admitted to St. Mungo’s!

After hours and hours spent in a cell, Kendis felt a bit like she had fallen down a rabbit hole.

“I am setting your bail at 500,000 Galleons.”

Kendis felt her heart clench inside her chest. The judge was not playing around in the slightest, and only Merlin knew what would happen to them if they didn’t have the Black fortune at their fingertips.

“You are to stay within the U.S. until your court date on September 29th,” the judge continued. “Do you understand, Mx. Black?”

“Yes, sir.”

The gavel went down. “Court is adjourned.”

The judge quickly got up and left. Kendis sagged on their feet in relief. Draco ushered them out of the courtroom, through the lobby, and into the big mall. Some people did a double take at Draco as he walked past them in his bespoke robes, his long blond hair billowing around him in a manner that reminded Kendis oddly of the male protagonists on the covers of Aunt Petunia’s romance books.

He stood out against the more casually dressed Wixens milling around the mall. Draco swiftly escorted them out of El Caldero and into the open air.

“We’re doing a side-along,” Draco said, looking her up and down. “There is no way I am going to trust you to apparate the state you are in.”

Draco took her hand, and with a pop, Kendis’s body was squeezed through space and time. Then they reappeared in the middle of her living room in Burbank.

“Kendis!”

There was a shout as a pair of big arms knocked Draco out of the way and clutched her.

“Jason,” Kendis wheezed. “You’re going to squeeze the air out of me.”

“It’s my turn, big guy,” Ian said as he took Jason’s place to hug them. “I was so worried!”

“I can’t believe Aurors arrested you,” Hortense said as she took her turn. “After everything you’ve done for the magical world, why can’t they leave you alone?”

Kendis returned Hortense’s hug with a tired sigh. She would love to know the answer to that question herself. Then Isiah stepped up and gave them one of his much-needed bear hugs.

“I’m so glad that you are okay, Dis,” Isiah said, relieved. “I didn’t know what to think when Tony called us.”

Suddenly, Kendis remembered her husband. They had been so distracted by their friends that they had forgotten Tony. A pang of guilt hit her as she pushed Isiah aside and looked around. There, behind Jason, stood Tony. He gave her an awkward wave.

She made a beeline for him and threw herself into his arms.

“Oof!” Tony said as he wrapped his arms around them. “You are stronger than you look.”

Kendis wrapped her arms around him and took in the familiar feel of his arms holding them and his comforting scent of metal, smoked amber, and cardamom. Her eyes stung with unshed tears.

They ducked their head into his shoulder and pulled him impossibly closer.

“Oh, Amore mio.” He ran his hands up and down their back and rocked them as they cried. “It’s okay. You’re home now.”