The sky was dark. It was not however, a dark, starry night that could potentially be considered beautiful. It was the type of dark that is meant to frighten, meant to remind us humans that in the face of nature, we were ultimately powerless and insignificant. And as he was sitting outside on the ledge of his bedroom window, the harsh winds blowing his soft, baby blonde hair in every which way, that is exactly how Draco Malfoy felt: insignificant. Hated by most everyone in the wizarding community, no opportunities for employment due to the stigma his name held and virtually no one that really cared about his wellbeing. "Well one person did…but then she had to die too…" He thought to himself wistfully.
He saw no real reason to continue living, and prepared himself to jump off of the ledge. Taking one last massive gulp of the Firewhiskey he had been nursing, Draco gripped the brick underneath him tightly, his knuckles whitening at the pressure being exerted on them. He squeezed his eyes shut tight and tried to focus on something pleasant, in the hopes that maybe in his fall to death he might see something other than the gore and violently scarring memories that kept him awake most nights. No such luck. "Oh to hell with it", he thought to himself and with his erratic heartbeat increasing with each passing second, he pushed himself off of the edge. Draco felt himself falling as tree branches from the Manor's vast botanical array scraping his body. The winds harshly grated his cheeks, making it feel like he was being slapped a thousand times over. He didn't care- he had been through worse. Suddenly, he felt his body stop moving. He was literally floating in midair, as though someone had cast Arresto Momentum, even though nobody had. Draco tried pushing himself downwards, but it was as though he was trying to push two repelling magnets towards each other. He seemed to be bouncing back against some invisible force which prevented his further fall. Just as he was preparing to make one more effort to push against the force, he felt himself being propelled back upwards at an alarmingly fast pace. His head hit the trees again, the branches making holes in his robes upon the rough contact. Within seconds, he found himself back on the ledge. Draco was absolutely furious at the events that had transpired. This time he stood up on the ledge, his hands bunched into fists at his side as though he would punch anything and anyone that dared stop his fall this time. However, the second his feet left the ledge this time, he was once again pushed back onto the ledge. "BLOODY HELL. Can't even fucking kill myself properly!" He screamed out in frustration, punching the ledge repeatedly, his anger and confusion riddled mind numbing the sense of pain that should result from his bloodied fists. As he made to lie his face in his palms, he caught sit of a strange looking creature that seemed to resemble a firefly. It was flying in odd directions in front of his eyes, and Draco soon realized that it was inscribing letters in the air. "Young Master Malfoy- your time to go is not now, for there is still one out there whose life is tied to yours." Just as Draco reached out to attempt to catch the peculiar creature, it seemingly just snapped out of sight. And there he was, sitting on a ledge hundreds of feet tall, surrounded by empty bottles of Firewhiskey and an annoyingly cryptic message in front of his eyes. A hauntingly morbid setting featuring an incredibly morose, troubled and utterly perplexed soul. Indeed, Draco Malfoy definitely had disintegrated a lot since his Prince of Slytherin days.
~2 days earlier~
"Here were those files you asked for, Ms. Granger!" "Ah yes, thank you Jack!", she said, swiveling around in her chair to retrieve the files and shooting Jack a smile. As she began to burrow her face in the files, she failed to notice the blush appearing on Jack's face as he cleared his throat and made to hurry out of the room. "Right then, well um I'll see you in a bit then, ma'am!" Hermione Granger was no longer the bushy haired, bucktoothed bookworm from Hogwarts. Well, maybe the bookworm aspect still applies but no one could really deny that the brave Gryffindor had turned into an attractive young woman. The formerly wild, untamable mane had now become beautiful, soft ringlets cascading down her back. Her brown eyes contained a charming sparkle, a natural consequence of no longer being on the hit list for the most evil dark wizard. In the three years that had passed since the Final Battle, Hermione had occupied a respectable position within the Ministry as the Director of the newly developed Department of Community Affairs, which catered to the needs of those severely impacted by the war and helped organize relief efforts and service projects. Her current pet project was the creation of an orphanage for the children who lost their parents in the war. Currently, there was a cluttering of small, decrepit orphanages that didn't provide the children with many opportunities. Every time she looked at Harry, Hermione was reminded of the kind of horrific childhood he endured and she wanted to do everything in her power to prevent other children from enduring a similar fate. The development of such an orphanage requires an extensive amount of money, and although Harry and Ron were willing to contribute a sizable amount of their war winnings to the effort, it was still nowhere near enough. Therefore, she spent a good portion of her time seeking out financiers for her project. Hermione had her nose buried in a file when she heard a knock on her office door. "Ms. Granger, there is a phone call for you", Jack spoke up. She furrowed her brows; she kept a Muggle phone primarily to keep in contact with her parents but they were out of town currently. "Unless there is an emergency…" she thought to herself worriedly, immediately beginning to panic. "Hello?" she answered cautiously. "Ms. Granger?" A hoarse, female voice said on the other line. "Yes…this is she. May I know who is calling?" She asked confusedly. "This is Narcissa- Narcissa Malfoy. I have some extremely urgent business to discuss with you. Would you be able to make a visit to my cottage, out in Tinworth?" said the hoarse voice once more. Hermione was absolutely stunned; what business could Narcissa Malfoy possibly have with her, and why did she sound so awful? What happened to that air of regality? "Business- what business do you speak of, exactly? I can't quite understand what we would ever have to do with each other?" Hermione questioned. "Ah but you see, we do have something to do with each other. It isn't quite safe for me to explain all of this over the phone, and I'm still quite weary of using these peculiar "telephones". I understand that you really have no reason to trust me, but please Ms. Granger, I beg of you, please believe me. You just have to. I-I don't have much time left, please. If you could show up this evening around 6 pm, it would really mean everything to me." Narcissa Malfoy pleaded on the other line. Hermione was at a loss about what to do. Yes, she really did have no reason to trust Narcissa. However, Lucius was long dead and he was the primary source of danger when it came to the Malfoys. Narcissa really did sound quite ill, and Hermione did not want to ignore what could potentially be a dying woman's last wish. "I'm a very capable witch, I'm sure I can handle any danger that may come my way. I can cast a Patronus easily, I could Apparate away and get help from Harry and Ron if needed…" Hermione quickly rationalized to herself. Ultimately, her pesky curiosity got the best of her other thoughts and she found herself saying, "Yes hello, Mrs. Malfoy. I have decided to agree to your request, and I will show up promptly at 8 pm. But do remember, I wield significant influence within the community today- any unwarranted behavior or surprises, and it won't end well, Mrs. Malfoy", she warned firmly. "You will see that there will be none of that. Thank you Ms. Granger, I look forward to meeting you." Hermione hung up and began walking back to her office. "Jack! Please hold any calls or meetings I may have for the rest of the day, I have some urgent business that needs to be taken care of", Hermione said, as she locked the door behind her. She needed some time alone to ponder the meaning behind that unexpected call and what Narcissa Malfoy could possibly want from her. Hermione began searching the database for any information relating to the Malfoys and their post-war life. She already knew Lucius died in Azkaban, but she really didn't know much about the fate of Narcissa and Draco. Both of them had been saved from Azkaban due to testimonies from Harry, but most people still hated them due to their Death Eater ties and Hermione figured it was also unlikely that Draco would have been able to find employment anywhere. She found an article in the gossip column of a paper which commented on the decrepit state of the formerly regal Malfoy Manor. "Hmm…well this place certainly looks like its in shambles. No wonder she invited me to visit her at a different location…" Hermione thought. "Hermione? You in there?" she was pulled out of her deep concentration at the sound of Ron's voice. Almost immediately upon the end of the war, Harry and Ron both joined the Auror force, quickly rising up through the ranks. The trio made it a point to frequently meet up for lunch or coffee and their proximity within the Ministry made that quite easy. "Yes, I am, one second!" Quickly, she put the files on the Malfoys away- Ron would certainly be incensed if she found out what she was planning on doing tonight and she didn't want to risk him finding out. She opened the door, "Hey there! Sorry, I was just trying to focus on some work. What's up?" "Nothing much- its Friday and Luna and I were just going to have some people over. You in?" She smiled at the mention of Luna. After a few months of dating after the Final Battle, Ron and Hermione discovered that they just weren't met to be romantically linked and decided to split up with a mutual understanding. They quickly fell back into their comfortable rhythm as best friends and Ron seemed to have found true love in Luna. Her smile quickly faded as she remembered that she had other..plans…for the night. "Oh that sounds like fun! But you see, I uh, I'm meeting up with some friends tonight, so I can't make it." Ron looked slightly hurt at her statement, "Friends? What friends? All of our friends are planning on coming tonight." "No no, I meant my Muggle friends. Some of the girls and I were planning on going out for drinks tonight, that's all." She lied quickly. "Oh. Well that's fine then, hope you have fun then Hermione! You work too much, honestly, get drunk tonight, dance, have FUN. F-U-N. Remember that?" He said, shaking her shoulders jovially. She gave him a big smile back, hoping the worry she was feeling wasn't exhibited on her face. Ron didn't seem to notice, however, and he was soon out on his way.
Upon returning home after work, Hermione only had about an hour before she had to meet Narcissa. She decided to wear sensible pants and sweater, and neatly did her hair in a half braid. Finding a container of leftover pasta in the fridge, Hermione grabbed a fork and ate the remaining. She fed Crookshanks and spent a few minutes petting him, the repetitive motion of running her hand over his soft fur comforting her. Finally, Hermione grabbed her wand and a small golden coin she had set up as a Portkey to Grimmauld Place in case of an emergency, and Apparated to the address Narcissa had given her. Upon regaining her balance after a few moments of dizziness following her arrival, she glanced out at the house in front of her. It greatly resembled Shell Cottage and she quite liked the nearby view of the water. The setting was quaint and rustic- two adjectives that she would never use to describe the Malfoys' tastes. Heaving a final sigh, Hermione made her way to the door of the cottage. Upon knocking, she was greeted by an elderly, plump woman who was outfitted an a nurse's uniform. "You must be Ms. Granger, please come in", the woman stated politely. Hermione made her way inside the house, and glanced around. It was sparsely furnished, with minimal furniture and a few simple paintings and vases for decoration. With every passing moment, Hermione was finding it hard to believe that a Malfoy could ever be living here. Where were the leather sofas or luxurious silk sheets for crying out loud?! "Ms. Granger…in here please, if you will" the hoarse voice called out. As Hermione made her way inside the bedroom, her eyes widened and she gasped as looked in front of her. Narcissa Malfoy, the former queen of high class pureblood society, the Mistress of Malfoy Manor, looked absolutely deathly ill as she was engulfed by the surrounding blankets. Her feet and hands had taken on a strange blackish color, similar to what happened to Dumbledore, and the woman was quite emaciated. No makeup, no jewelry, and she was practically drowning in her clothes- Narcissa resembled nothing of her former self. "Please, pull over the chair next to me." Hermione swallowed her throat nervously, and obliged. "Mrs. Malfoy, how did you get my number?" "Ah you see, Ms. Granger, I still have a few contacts here and there in the Ministry. One of them slipped me the number", Narcissa replied cheekily. "Right. Well, um M-Mrs. Malfoy, what's happened to you?" She inquired, staring nervously at Narcissa's scarred hand. "This is the price I pay for being in Voldemort's inner circle for many years, Ms. Granger. The effects of innumerable curses and torture mechanisms have finally combined, and it seems as though my death is inevitable very shortly. The Manor can hardly be considered a home any longer, and I have been advised to rest somewhere else. I've been living in this cottage for a few months now, along with Nurse Azure." She stated sadly. "I'm sorry to see you like this. Although we may have never been on the best terms, I would never wish this on anyone." Hermione replied. Narcissa gave her a small smile, "Thank you, Ms. Granger. Now, you must be curious as to why I've called you here. If you may recall the night you and your friends were captured by the Snatchers and brought to Malfoy Manor? I really hate to have you relive that night but it is imperative you understand what I am saying, so please, bear with me." Hermione gulped nervously, but nodded understandingly. "Anyway, as Bellatrix was…torturing…you, I placed her in a temporary body bind curse and placed some essence of dittany on your wounds and ensured that you would be reunited with your friends, remember?" Inquired Narcissa. "Yes, yes of course. You saved my life that night, Mrs. Malfoy. Thank you, I will forever be grateful to you. It must not have been easy to stand up to your sister, but you found it in yourself to safe me and for that I am indebted to you", Hermione responded passionately, reaching out to touch her arm. At Hermione's words, Narcissa stiffened. "You see, that is precisely what I wanted to talk to you about. I have one request to ask of you, a last wish, if you may. In exchange for me saving your life, I would like to ask you to help safe a life as well", Narcissa stated cautiously. "And who would that be, Mrs. Malfoy?", Hermione questioned, almost too scared to hear her answer. "My son, Draco", Narcissa replied.
Hermione's eyes widened as she stared back at Narcissa. The elder woman's face seemed to have gone stone cold, her eyes swimming with hurt and pain. "D-Draco? What's wrong with him? Is he ill? I'm not a Healer…I work in the Ministry, you see. Although if it is some legal matter, I might be able to contribute something…" Hermione rambled on nervously before Narcissa interrupted. "No no, he does not need medical or legal help, Ms. Granger. The matter of the fact is, the Malfoys are at their root, a cruel, unforgiving bunch. They do not comprehend the meaning of ideas such as love, empathy, forgiveness, and most of all- change. Upon Lucius' death, his family cut off all ties with me, but I wish I could say the same for Draco. With Lucius' death, Draco became the heir of the Malfoy fortune and Lucius' brothers will seemingly stop at nothing to prevent him from accessing it officially on his 21st birthday. None of them have children, you see, and Draco is the lone heir. However, they would like to gain the money for themselves. Lucius' family have been long time supporters of the dark side's cause, and Draco's repeated failings regarding Voldemort's tasks incensed them. Furthermore, Draco has spent the better part of the past year studying at a Muggle university in London, primarily to avoid the discrimination he would face in the wizarding world but also because he has changed, Ms. Granger. As hard as it may seem for you to believe, Draco deeply regrets all that he has done in his past to propagate ideals of blood superiority, and the Malfoy relatives simply cannot handle that. Truth be told, they will find any reason to put Draco in harm's way and usurp the fortune. But Draco, he wants to change, Ms. Granger, I'm certain of it. He never wanted the life Lucius forced us into, and now when he finally has the opportunity to make his own choices, I'm afraid he must fear for his life. Still, when I look at him, I have hope. Hope that the Malfoy name may someday be associated with something positive. Hope of a better life, free of submission and oppression. But I'm afraid that this hope is much like a candle amidst the wind- it won't last. Unless, there is a way to free Draco from this danger", the elder woman croaked out. Hermione wrung her hands together, a million and one thoughts racing through her mind. Her brows furrowed as she attempted process all of the information that had just been shared with her, and although she considered herself an extremely intuitive and analytical person, she struggled to wrap her mind around Narcissa's story. After a few moments, Hermione cleared her throat and spoke up, "This is quite the tale you've told me Mrs. Malfoy. However, why should I believe any of it? It is no secret that your son taunted my friends and I mercilessly throughout our years at Hogwarts, and made a particularly keen effort to single me out due to my blood status. I can hardly remember a week that went by without him calling me Mudblood. And now, even if your story is true, I am supposed to help extricate him from trouble, potentially at the risk of my own safety? You must have an idea of how ridiculous this proposition sounds to me." The Malfoy matriarch gave a soft chuckle and raised her eyebrow with amusement, "You really are a firebrand, Ms. Granger. You are correct- I have given you no definite proof that my information is correct. However, I will freely permit you to use Legilimency on me and I am more than willing to take Veritaserum. But the fact of the matter is, I'm dying Ms. Granger. I have no incentive to concoct lies anymore." Hermione glanced at her thoughtfully, still not fully convinced. "I would like to use Legilimency to verify your story." Narcissa nodded, "Yes, I expected as much. You may begin." Hermione focused hard as she navigated through the layers of Narcissa's mind. Images of Lucius' deranged family flashed by, and she saw a small, cowering, blonde haired boy hiding in the corner from a man with a cane. "Hmm…that must be Draco…", she thought to herself. She saw the two attempts made on his life already- one in the form of a cursed book Draco had touched in Borgin and Burkes and an another when he was at the Muggle university. She could overhear parts of conversations shared between Draco, "I cannot deal with any further, Mother! I will arrange a meeting with Uncle Emilio and the others and have the will transferred to them". "No Draco you cannot do that! You are the rightful heir, and I will not standby and watch you bullied into submission once more! If only I weren't ill…" "But Mother, you ARE ill. That's precisely the point. I will not have you spending your days worrying about me instead of focusing on your health." "Draco, I am your mother and I forbid you to appease to those monsters. You have spent enough time in your life doing that already, now please, let's think about what we can do…" Hermione stopped her probing after a few minutes, obtaining the proof she needed. "Mrs. Malfoy, I can see that your story has proved to be true. But why should I be the one to help? And that too, especially a person who has shown me no empathy?" With this, a small frown appeared on Narcissa's face, "Because I saved your life, dear. And in exchange, this is what I would like. Also, I do not think you would deny a dying woman's wish. And as for the matter of my son, I know full well of his treatment towards you in your adolescence. His behavior certainly cannot be excused, but I do not believe that is the kind of person he really is. He finally has a chance to lead a life of good, Ms. Granger, to lead a life where he can make informed choices about his own future and I want that for him. I should have done more to protect him, but I didn't And now, I simply cannot stand to see his second chance at life being cruelly snatched away. There is good in him, Ms. Granger", she spoke passionately, a lone tear making its way down her cheek. A few sniffles later, Narcissa spoke up again. "There is another incentive as well. You see, I never told Lucius or Draco this, but I do have quite a large sum of money bequeathed to me from the Black family estate. I wanted its existence to remain secret, lest Lucius squander it on his foolish devotion to the Dark Lord's cause, and it has remained hidden. If you were to help me, I am willing to give you 5 million pounds." Hermione couldn't help but let out a gasp as her eyes widened. 5 million pounds?! "That's more than enough to help finance the orphanage." She though eagerly. Letting out a sigh, she leaned back in her chair. "This certainly is a lot of information I have dumped on you, is there anything you would like to eat or drink?", Narcissa questioned softly. "Just a glass of water would be lovely, thank you."
As she sipped her water, Hermione Granger began thinking. This orphanage was her biggest dream, and the money could do wonders to help her vision come to fruition. Little Teddy Lupin's face came into her mind. She smiled faintly as she thought of his rosy cheeks dotted with freckles and his curly hair, and she was reminded of the thousands of other orphans just like him. And yes, she really didn't have it in her conscience to deny a dying woman- especially one that had saved her life. She was a Gryffindor through and through, and she intended to lead a life of honor and integrity. The compassionate side of her cried out for Draco as well. The pained look in his eyes and utterly frightened demeanor did not go unnoticed by her when she peeked into Narcissa's mind. It wasn't as though she could just ignore all of the cruel things that Draco had done to her in the past, but if she made no effort to forgive then what differentiated her? "He deserves a second chance too…and I might be able to give it to him", she thought to herself. Clearing her throat once more and placing her glass on the side table, Hermione spoke up, "I am willing to accept your offer, Mrs. Malfoy. While I am still not even close to completely convinced regarding Draco's intentions, I do believe everyone deserves a second chance and it would be truly tragic if his opportunity at a clean life were to be stolen once more. But if there is any funny business on his behalf, or if he continues to treat me in a demeaning manner, then I will not continue to help him." Narcissa smiled widely, absolutely elated with Hermione's response "Yes, yes of course. Thank you so much, Ms. Granger. I will ensure that the 5 million pounds are transferred to your Gringotts account." Narcissa said, as a few more tears made their way down her cheek, her voice shaking with relief. They reached out and shook hands- the agreement was official.