BEING ON THE CAGED SIDE OF THINGS WAS A SICKENING FEELING. It was a side that nobody ever aspired to be on. You felt like a caged animal, like bird who had never known what it was really like to be free. Once you were trapped in there, it felt like the outside world didn't exist. Like you had never existed outside of that cage. The dementors that looked over you, behind a shield that could burst open and free them seemed more free than you did in the cage.

Roxanne could have sworn she had been sitting in the cramped cage for days. She barely had room to move, the seat she was give was hard and cold. The cold metal dug into her, it made her wish for the dirt floor of her cell in Azkaban. At least there she didn't have heavy shackles on, there she could pace from one wall to the other. There, she could focus on the sounds of dripping water, or the murmurs from the other cells. There, she knew that was her world. She wasn't teased with the outside world like she was sitting in that small cage. She was so close to freedom, she was so close to being able to hug her mother again. She could practically feel it already.

But she wasn't stupid. She knew that it would never happen.

"Roxanne Weasley," the witch that was seated behind the towering desk before her broke through Roxanne's train of thought. The look that filled her eyes wasn't the least bit welcoming, her eyes glared through Roxanne as if they were attached to daggers. It made Roxanne want to sink back into solitude in her cell. "You have been charged with the following..." she began, her brown eyes momentarily glancing down at something on her desk. "Aiding the Dark Lord, assisting in his mission to take of the Ministry of Magic...and as well as revealing the location, date, and time of Mr. and Mrs. William Weasley's wedding..." the woman briefly glanced up at Roxanne, disgust evident in her eyes before she continued, "and the murder of multiple witches and wizards, and being connected to the murder of various muggle families. All over the course of the last year." she finished, sighing heavily as she looked down at Roxanne. "What is your plea to these charges?"

Roxanne had a sinking feeling in her stomach. No matter what words she uttered, it wouldn't be enough. They hadn't bothered to listen thus far. What could she say now that they hadn't heard before? There wasn't anything she could say to sway anyone...

The witch cleared her throat impatiently.

"N-not guilty." she replied, her voice was soft— already defeated. "But...but please you have to let me explain!" she continued, her voice ending up practically filled with panic.

The woman looked at her with one of her brows arched sharply, "Were you or were you not an ally of Tom Riddle, or  as many know him as Lord Voldemort?" she asked, leaning forward and narrowing her eyes that had been glaring right through her since Roxanne had arrived. 

"Well...y-yes, but–" 

"Did you or did you not tell Lord Voledmort where your brother, William Weasley's wedding was and that Mister Harry Potter would be in attendance?"

          Roxanne fell silent, so silent that she could hear her own heartbeat echoing in her ears. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest violently as her mind began racing. As she struggled to pick the correct words to use, she rubbed her thumb against her palm. One wrong word could mean the end of whatever trial she was going to get. "Well, yes, but I didn't have a choice!" Roxanne's voice was louder than it had been for any of her other replies.

The witch wasn't really listening to a word she said, any of her weak attempts at defending herself. "Were you or were you not fighting with other Death Eaters at the battle-"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Roxanne felt her eyes nearly pop right out her skull. "No! I wasn't! I was fighting against Voldemort!" she replied sharply.

"But you admit that you were a Death Eater and that you did reveal the location of the wedding where Mr. Harry Potter was at, and during the attack on the wedding by your fellow Death Eaters, had resulted in the death of five Ministry Officials?" she asked coldly, "Not to mention the six guests who were attending the wedding."

        Roxanne felt any chance she had slip away. Trying to explain herself only dug herself a deeper grave. The Ministry wasn't exactly making a habit of being very forgiving of any war crimes from the war that had ended the previous Spring. It took weeks for Harry Potter to convince them that Narcissa Malfoy had helped him and that without her the end of the war would have been different. However, Roxanne knew that this was different— her trial wouldn't be like Narcissa's. Nobody had bothered to listen to her side yet. Nobody cared to hear her reasoning behind aiding Voldemort.

"Ms. Weasley?" The woman asked, ripping her out of her thoughts.

"Nobody has let me explain." Roxanne stated weakly as she looked up at the woman as a few stray tears dropped down her cheeks. Her eyes then glanced around her small cage at the people sitting, and observing the trial.

         She saw Lysander and Josiah there, sitting quietly in the row of seats behind her mother. Next to her was Ron, her twin brother, and his girlfriend; one of Roxanne's closest girlfriends, Hermione. Then Harry Potter sat next to her, and Ginny sat on the other side of her mother and George next to her. All of them had heard everything she said, regardless if she tried to explain. They heard her admit to telling Lord Voldemort about the wedding, and giving away Harry's hiding place.

"You have to let me explain!" she finished looking back at the woman  quickly and leaning forward in the cage she was trapped in. It was guarded by spells and charms so she couldn't just apperate. Her fingers wrapped so tight around the bars that she could see her already sickly pale skin getting even more translucent.

"You've had your chance to explain," the woman stated coldly,  so it was clear she just wanted to send another Death Eater back to Azkaban for life and move on to the next. "At the first part of your trial. Two months ago."

"Yes, I know. But nobody listened!" Roxanne said, her voice growing more and more frantic as she could feel her trial coming to an end. "You let me explain, but you had already made up your mind!" Roxanne pleaded with the woman, recalling the first part of the trial where she was allowed to speak on her own behalf only long enough for them to make her look completely guilty. "Please! You have to listen!" Roxanne exclaimed as she began to feel her voice getting louder as she struggled to stay calm like she had told herself to be before she was brought in there.

The woman sighed irritably, "It isn't just your trail today, Ms. Weasley." She stated, "The court will discuss your meeting with the Minister for your pardon, until then you will be sent back to your cell in Azkaban and continue to serve your current life sentence." She stated simply, and then she gave her wand a flick and the latches that locked the door came undone. The whole time her eyes watched Roxanne carefully, her wand closed in her hand. Waiting for a chance to release the dementors above.

        The metal cuffs locked around her wrists even tighter again as the heavy chain forced her to get down from the cage. As she was practically pulled down, her heart began to pound and she began to feel cold just thinking about going back to Azkaban instead of back home with her family to the Burrow.

"I had to! I had to do it! He would have killed everyone! Please!" she exclaimed loudly, "You have to listen now! I don't belong in Azkaban! Don't send me back!" Roxanne pleaded loudly as two guards from Azkaban began to lead her out of the courtroom.

"All who aided Lord Voldemort belong in Azkaban-" she replied coldly.

"Then what about Draco Malfoy!" she shouted back, "If they all belong there, why isn't he in Azkaban anymore!?" she asked quickly as the chains grew heavier on her wrists with every inch that she moved.

"He's been pardoned, and if you behave yourself you'll have a chance to be pardoned as well!" the woman snapped sharply, clearly tired of Roxanne's pleas. There was nothing that Roxanne could do except let the guards bring her back to Azkaban and put her in her cell to begin the rest of her sentence.

         It didn't matter that they said they would discuss letting her speak with the Minister and ask for a pardon. That was their way of saying they wouldn't discuss it. She would just sit in Azkaban for the rest of her life, knowing that she didn't do anything to deserve this— at least not anything she could have helped. She did nothing by choice of her own because she wanted to. Everything she did was because she had to. What was considered at the first part of her trial, she explained herself— but they didn't care.

*     *    *

"Can I have one thing instead of food tonight?" she asked that night once back at her cell as they undid the heaviest chain from the lighter one that held her hands together loosely, "I can't keep the food down anyway..." she said sheepishly as the heavy bars shut her into her cell.

"What do you want?" one of the guards asked, he was the nighttime guard that was on her end of the Death Eater corridor.

"A couple pieces of parchment and a quill and some ink." she responded, the guard looked at her hesitantly for a moment as he thought with an eyebrow raised sharply

"I'll talk to the warden." he simply replied.

       Roxanne didn't feel any better after hearing that he might talk to the warden about getting her some parchment and a quill. It probably meant the same thing that the court had meant— you'll be sitting in your cell until you die for something you didn't do. That was practically what she had been told ever since she was caught in London after trying to hide from the Ministry after the battle.

        Roxanne sat with her back to the wall and rested her head on the wall with her legs pulled up to her chest and her chained arms resting on her knees. She could see strands of her red hair falling down her forehead. She hadn't seen her reflection, but she knew she probably looked a lot different than she did before this all started. Before she became a traitor, not by choice but by force. After a while, she started to recognize different cracks in the ceiling where water would occasionally leak through...then a bit later, she felt her eyes get heavy and eventually felt them shut. It seemed like they were only closed for a second, until she smacked her head on the wall and she flinched awake.

She looked towards the bars of the door, and she saw the guard again. In his hand held some parchment, "You asked for this instead of food?" he asked, she slowly got up and walked towards him slowly.

Taking the parchment, feeling great to have it in her hand. It felt much better than whatever the food was given to her, because the idea of anything but her mothers' cooking made her feel absolutely sick to her stomach.

"No quill, but Warden said you could use this." he said coldly as he pulled an old, half of a pencil with a dull end, out of his jacket pocket.

"Thank you..." she nodded a bit and he turned and went on his way. As Roxanne turned and looked over the cell, and searched for a spot with the best lighting she could get.

       She was excited about this. It would be something to get her mind off of things, help her sort out the good memories that she didn't want the dementors to take from her. Also maybe to straighten out her memories about what happened and why because sitting in that cell, she could feel herself losing her sanity, and she could have sworn she could still hear Lord Voldemorts' voice inside her head.

        Roxanne finally took her seat then laid down on her stomach. She began to scribble down her story, starting at the beginning of her sixth year at Hogwarts because a lot of the good memories from before then were all mashed together and distorted from the dementors already, so she had to gather what was left and put it on paper. It was also when things really started to take a turn for the worst.

Finally, i'm starting this rewrite. lol
I hope you enjoy this! 

Stay classy!