"If I may briefly address the council, Minister?" Hermione asked.  Kingsley nodded.  "I don’t love the defendant, and I don’t want him near me, but prior to all of this he’d been one of my best friends since the age of eleven.  I still care for him, and I don’t want to see him harmed or sentenced to Azkaban prison.  I would like to respectfully ask this council for leniency.  I only want him sent a strong message that he needs to stay away from me and allow me to live the life I have chosen."