August nodded once. He went over the facts in his mind: he did not believe Mr. Scrimgeour had meant to hurt his daughter, but he also did not believe Mr. Scrimgeour to be entirely in his right mind. This meant that he had hurt her - and it meant that August could lean heavily on Mr. Scrimgeour's mental state as a defense. People did not get locked up forever for assault; not non-lethal assault, not assault that wasn't premeditated. They also did not get off completely.
"Due to the facts of the case - you didn't report her missing right away, the scars, your dismissal from the aurors - there's no way to bring this to trial that does not end in a guilty verdict," August said, "If we go to trial, I'll try to argue the sentence down, but I cannot guarantee success."
"In situations like this, the course of action would be to negotiate and accept a plea deal."
"Due to the facts of the case - you didn't report her missing right away, the scars, your dismissal from the aurors - there's no way to bring this to trial that does not end in a guilty verdict," August said, "If we go to trial, I'll try to argue the sentence down, but I cannot guarantee success."
"In situations like this, the course of action would be to negotiate and accept a plea deal."