Prologue

After the War

It was over.
Finally it was over.
Hermione sat down on one of the broken off pieces of castle debris. She looked at all the rubble, the almost destroyed castle and all the dirty and injured people bustling around her in the courtyard.

People were leaving to return to their homes, or to go to St Mungo's to be with their injured friends or relatives. Others were helping the ones that couldn't help themselves due to injuries. And others still, were covering the dead while placing the bodies in rows. Inside the great hall she could vaguely hear the murmur as all the other injured are tended in the temporary infirmary set up in there.
Hermione glanced at the ministry workers that had lined up the caught death eaters that hadn't escaped in time. They were being aparated to Azkaban one by one.

Her eyes fell on the pale family. They were huddled together, Lucius and Narcissa holding Draco between them.
Hermione didn't see any of the trademark Malfoy smirks or haughtier.
She only saw three people who looked weary and exhausted.
She felt a pang of understanding. Just like she felt it in the previous year when she had noticed Draco becoming thinner and more withdrawn.
She knew that they had basically turned to the light in the end. That if it were not for Narcissa' s lie, this war might have ended in the wrong way, with Voldemort coming out victorious.
She also knew that Draco had tried in his own way, to help them in the manor months previously when they were caught by the snatchers. Hermione shivered at the memory of the Malfoy Manor.
How would she ever forget the torture she had endured at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange? Her hand subconsciously rubbed her other arm, right over the healing scar where mudblood was carved.
Forever branded on her body now.
Mudblood.
Hermione noticed that Draco was looking at her.

His eyes, masking whatever he is thinking, his face expressionless.
He glanced a quick glance at her hand rubbing her arm, and then his eyes gave a quick flicker of regret.
Hermione frowned in uncertainty, Draco showing regret? But as soon as she thought it, his eyes went back to the dead expression.

Narcissa looked over, probably to see who her son was looking at, as she saw Hermione's gaze on them, she gave a very slight nod to herself.
Hermione knew what it meant, it meant thank you. Thank you to the golden trio for her son's life. It meant recognition from a Malfoy.
Hermione nod her head back.
The two women looked in each other's eyes in understanding for a few seconds more, and then they both looked away.
After that exchange Hermione put the Malfoy's out of her mind. Ron came over and took her hand and hugged her tightly.
By the time they withdrew from each other's embrace, the ministry had already aparated the three Malfoy's away.

During Trials

The trials of all the caught death eaters have been going on for months.
The serious offenders were dealt with first in the immediate time period after the war.

And the others only later. It was about eight months post war that the Malfoy's turn came up.
Narcissa and Draco were confined to house arrest in that period, due to their lack of killing in the war. But Lucius was in Azkaban while awaiting trial.

"Hermione thank you for coming with me." Harry looked at Hermione with a faint smile, yet his eyes were weary and haunted.
For the people who knew the trio, they would know that the reason for their haunted and dark hollowed eyes was due to lack of sleep.
"Not a problem Harry. I also feel the need to do this. Enough hate was spread during the years and war." Hermione and Harry placed their arms around each other and walked silently to the court room in the Ministry.
The dark corridors were eerily silent and cold, reminder of the dementors that frequented this area of the ministry.
They entered the doors and made their way to the witness's booth.
They were going to witness for the Malfoy's.

Ron did not come, he will not change his views and his disdain for the Malfoy's ever. He refused to speak for them.
Hermione grimaced at the memory of the fight that ensued after her announcement that she will also support Harry in speaking for the Malfoy's.
"You will not do it Mione! This is the ferret! The same git that terrorized us for years!"
His face was red and his blue eyes looked like they would pop out of their sockets.
Hermione kept her calm, as she always tried to do in every situation.
"Ronald, I'm not expecting you to do it. This is for me. They deserve another chance. They did help in the end. I need to forgive him. I don't want hate anymore."

Ron looked like he might pop an artery in his head at that.
"Mione! He will still hate you! Even if you forgive him! The Malfoy's will always be shallowed in hate! You will gain nothing from this!"
Hermione closed her eyes and counted to ten.
"Ronald... They can hate me still. That's on their conscious. But mine will be clean."
With that Ron had stormed away. He aparated out of Grimauld Place and has not returned since.
That had been three days ago.
She and Ron's relationship had been rocky since it started after the war, clouded in fights and possessiveness. Or well, mostly, Ron being unnaturally possessive and controlling of her.
She shrugged it off as the post war trauma they all suffered from.
It will settle. She hoped.

Hermione brought herself back to the present, the court room had filled and they were busy ushering in the three Malfoy's.
She glanced up at the dementors who were circling the ceiling, various patronuses circling between the dementors and the people beneath. She shivered, the dementors were awful beings.
In silence the Wizengamot laid the charges against the family. Narcissa for support of the Death Eaters, Draco for being a death eater, and Lucius for being one along with various unforgivable curses usage. Various witnesses spoke up and evidence put on the table.
It didn't look good for Lucius, but Draco and Narcissa at least did not have direct blood on their hands.

The three Malfoy's sat straight and stared proudly yet unseeingly in front of them during the whole process. As the closing arguments got settled the minister for magic, Shacklebolt looked up to Harry and Hermione.
"Mr Potter and Ms Granger have requested a turn to speak in this trial also. Please, speak now." Hermione noticed three sets of shoulders stiffen, if that was even possible with the already straight and upright postures they have been maintaining throughout the trial.

She realised that the Malfoy's had not been aware of their presence up till then.
Harry went up first, to stand right in front of them. He spends a few seconds to glance at each one of the Malfoy's. Hermione couldn't see their faces from where she stood unfortunately.
"I do not have much to say, the Malfoy's have not been particularly close to me in my life..."
Harry trailed off to glance at the audience who started to murmur. Then he steeled himself and continued above their voices.
"However, I believe in second chances for those who deserve it. I do believe the Malfoy's deserve it. You might ask why I would say this, but trust me. Even in the darkest, sometimes there shines a light. As it is, the Malfoy's withdrew from the battle in the end. Withdrew from Voldemort. Also, thanks to Narcissa, who lied to Voldemort, I was able to finally defeat Voldemort. Also Draco, he attempted to help us, by denying my identity, when we were prisoners in their home. I plead their case to you, in consideration that they receive pardon or minimal sentencing." Harry finished his speech by looking at the members of the Wizengamot, respectively daring them to speak against the boy who lived.

They shuffled uncomfortably and whispered to each other as he broke his eye contact with them and made his way back to their booth.
Hermione in turn walked to the front. As Harry did, she also first looked at the three Malfoy members before speaking. She noticed how they kept their blank proud expressions in place, but was vaguely surprised when she saw that Draco Malfoy stared at her intently.

His stormy grey eyes locking onto hers the moment her gaze landed on him.
After what seemed minutes, but was in fact only seconds, she turned to watch the Wizengamot members as she spoke.
Her voice was strong and sure, no one would guess at the inner turmoil and fear that she was in fact experiencing.

"Those who know me, would realise I am the last person to ever ask for a pardon for the Malfoy's. I am to them, and have been frequently reminded of it as well as treated accordingly, but vermin under their shoes. Being muggle born. Yet, I cannot have it in my conscious if they were to be sentenced to life. Because I know, as Harry already pointed out, they have redeeming qualities. Harry already pointed out the technical help they gave during the war. So I just want to point out that where love is, is hope also. And Narcissa as well as Lucius Malfoy have shown their love exceptionally towards their son. And Draco Malfoy has shown his love for his parents, by doing whatever necessary to save them. I noticed him in sixth year. I saw the proud healthy boy become a haunted shadow of a boy. We know he lowered his wand because he could not take a life. That proves that he is not a lost case. That all shows they know love. And whoever knows love, can be redeemed. With that I will also say to them..." Hermione turned towards the Malfoy's then and once again looked into their faces.

"I forgive you. For how you treated me always. I bear you no ill will. Even though my forgiveness most likely will not mean anything to you, for myself, I still forgive you."
She turned back towards the Wizengamot members, once again looking steadily into their faces.
"If I, can pardon the Malfoy's, and give them a second chance, as well as Harry, then I do believe the whole wizarding community can also find it in their hearts." Hermione kept eye contact, daring them to question two of the three of the golden trio. She only walked back to her booth after seeing more than half of their eyes lowering almost shamefully.

As she sat down next to Harry again, tightly grabbing hold of his hand, she heard Lucius speaking for the first time during the entire trial. He spoke almost softly, but without hesitation.
"I will share any and all information I have on Yaxley and Dolohov, which is actually quite a bit, to assist in their capture... To show my- our, willingness in cooperating and accepting the new Ministry and modern views."

The whispering started up again; Dolohov was the most wanted death eater along with Yaxley. Even more so than Lucius Malfoy.
After what seemed like ten minutes of silently conferring between each other, Shacklebolt continued.
In the end Draco and Narcissa was send to a year house arrest and Lucius was send to a year in Azkaban and then a further three years of house arrest. It was minimal sentencing.
Their plea had worked.

Harry and Hermione left the room first, not giving any Malfoy the chance to stop them, or even see them.