Viva la Vida: Pillars of Salt and Pillars of Sand

a/n: This is the last in the Viva la Vida series (I hope) but I really do appreciate those who were there at the beginning and those who latched on later too! Its funny cuz this started out as just something to write and it's become a full on drama. Typical.

Review for me! And enjoy!

Chapter One

Lucius Malfoy rocked back and forth in the corner of his cell in Azkaban. He was a very different Lucius than he was before his time in the Wizarding prison. The long white-blonde hair that always looked clean and neat was now a matted stringy mess. His gray eyes had become dark stormy pools of nothingness.

The changed man spent his days (or could they be everlasting nights?) staring blankly into space, the more horrific events in his life dispersing throughout his brain. His time spent this way was hardly interrupted except for the arrival of new prisoners and the release of them. By now, Lucius had stopped pressing his face against the bars of his cell, a vague, vague hope inside him that maybe he'd be chucked out because his cell was needed. But as his wish was continually denied he'd lost all sight of anything happy.

So when a piercing shriek rang through the dank chamber, Lucius didn't flinch in acknowledgment. But the shrieking continued.

"MY BABY! NOT MY BABY! OHHHH DRACO, HOW COULD YOU?! OHH, DRACO!"

Lucius flinched at the name being bellowed across the prison. He knew that name and that voice was familiar. It took a while for these things to connect, meanwhile the shouts turned into sobs.

A long swoosh of robes walked passed Lucius' cell. He crawled over to the bars, and reached out a hand tugging on the robes before they were completely out of reach.

The man turned around. It was the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt. He looked at Lucius with boredom.

"Watch it, Malfoy," the Minister said in his slow deep voice.

"Minister, what was my wife screaming about?"

Shacklebolt pulled a copy of Witch Weekly from inside his robes and threw it between the cell bars.

"Your son."

Lucius read through the contents to find his son's name and flipped to the page. His face twisted at the sight of what appeared to be his son lip-locked with Harry Potter.

The prisoner threw the magazine back at the Minister.

"That is no son of mine."

-:-

For the first time in a long time Draco sat at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall for breakfast. His appetite hadn't necessarily been restored but to be honest he was sick of lying in bed for days. It made him feel even more pathetic than he already was. And he knew Blaise was right, he was being a coward.

The poor Slytherin nibbled on a piece of toast and stared at his plate as to not have to look at anyone. But his If I can't see you, you can't see me ploy didn't work.

Someone sat across from him, he could feel their waiting eyes.

"Hi Pans," he said without looking up.

When he did he reeled back for a second. Maybe that wasn't Pans. The girl that sat in front of him had long sleek black hair and did not bore the regular worried-puppy look Pansy always had on her face. In fact she looked halfway erotic.

"Pansy?"

"Hello, Draco. It's good to see you in public again," she smiled a real smile that made her eyes sparkle even in their darkness.

"What…." Draco thought to say, What happened to you? But Pansy would take great offense.

"I know I look different. I've been having really intense sessions…er with my peer therapist and he says that a change can sometimes get you through heartache."

Draco was lost on "peer therapist". The blonde just gaped at his friend in bewilderment.

"What?"

"Alright, I'm just going to get it all out, Daniel said that was the best way to handle this." She took a deep breath then said, "Look, finding out about you and Potter hit me hard, it hit everyone pretty thoroughly but I just always thought you and I were meant to be. But Daniel has helped me a lot so I'm getting over it, and now I'm a new woman!" All of this was said very fast and was ended with a smile.

"Who…who is Daniel?" was all Draco could think to ask.

"My peer therapist."

"They have peer therapists? At this school?"

"Well it's only just started but I find the program to be very helpful."

Draco just stared at this changed girl with his lips slightly parted.

"But," Pansy continued clasping her hands together, "it's really refreshing to see you out of the dorm. And I hope that you do resolve this with Potter because you two have a lot to talk about."

She patted Draco's arm then got up and left the Great Hall.

He'd lost his appetite again. His mind was reeling and it gave him an unpleasant light-headed feeling. The Slytherin felt like everything was whirring past him too far out of his reach for him to grasp them and figure it all out.

He put his hands over his eyes to try and make the light headedness go away. It took a minute but he finally came back into mind stability.

What really got to him though was that Pansy insisted that him and Potter had things to discuss. No. They had nothing to discuss.

-:-

Hermione sat back on the couch with a huff. She felt so worn and tired. The thought of the trial made her insides writhe in anger; at the prospect of not being able at all to win. And what would it matter that Skeeter had written lies? It was no excuse to assault the vile woman.

And then Professor McGonagall trying to parent her. If she'd been herself probably, she would've appreciated the elder woman's concern but something about it made Hermione angry.

There was nothing wrong with her, she was just genuinely sick of Skeeter's ridiculous reports.

But then again why had she reacted the way she did?

Ruffled and confused, the young witch tore away from the couch and made to exit the portrait hole but before she could reach it Ron burst through looking happy as a clam.

"Hello, 'Mione!"

Hermione bitterly wondered why he was so chipper.

"What's wrong?" he asked noticing her complete lack of enthusiasm. He wrapped her up in his arms but his girlfriend remained limp and unresponsive.

"Hermione?"

She sighed heavily.

Then Ron took her hand and led her to the boy's dormitory. "Get some privacy," he explained quickly. But no one in the common room was even paying attention to them, too wrapped up in their own affairs.

Hermione felt a slight adrenaline rush at Ron's forcefulness and became slightly curious as to what he was thinking.

In the empty dorms Ron led her to his four-poster and sat her down. He sat close next to her and said, "You worried about London?"

Hermione nodded looking down at her hands enfolded by Ron's in her lap.

They were silent then.

"I just – Harry's been through enough and with Skeeter being a snit and a half I just snapped."

Ron nodded in understanding, "I know."

"Thank you…for understanding."

"Of course," Ron said softly pushing away a lock of Hermione's hair from her face.

Then he leaned in and sealed his lips over Hermione's, lightly at first but then Hermione pulled him closer and kissed him more vigorously and passionately than ever before.

Ron gently pushed Hermione back down on the bed and looked at the beautiful girl beneath him. "It's going to be okay."

Hermione smiled, "I know."

She pulled his head down to hers and let herself go, not thinking of anything other than what she was doing right then.

-:-

Blaise did a double take when he saw Draco walk out of the Great Hall after dinner.

"Draco?" he asked as if he wasn't sure that, that was really his blonde haired friend.

The Slytherin looked at him but did not respond.

"You're….you're alive!"

"Not now, Blaise."

"What do you mean not now? You disappeared for almost a week. It's good to see you!"

Draco rolled his eyes but Blaise scooped him up in a suffocating bear hug anyway. But when he didn't return the gesture Blaise pulled back, "You really need to get out of this depression because there's no reason for you to be this upset."

Draco wrestled himself from Blaise, irritated.

"Maybe you should see a peer therapist."

Draco threw up his hands. "What is this peer counseling business?!"

-:-

On his way back to the Slytherin common room, a handsome almost frightening looking eagle owl swooped down in front of Draco almost causing a collision.

"Merlin!" Draco shouted furiously twisting himself away from the bird.

The owl stuck out his claw to reveal a Ministry of Magic letter, with the seal neatly holding it closed.

Eyebrows furrowed, Draco took the letter and the owl fluttered away.

The Slytherin waited until he entered the common room and sat in front of the fire before he opened it.

Dear Mr. Draco Malfoy,

I have taken upon myself to personally inform you of a tragic event. Last night, within the Azkaban prison your mother ended her life in the most horrific of ways. She committed the act upon reading an article by Rita Skeeter from the well known magazine Witch Weekly. (Note that she asked me to send her any updates on you while she was imprisoned.)

Your father Lucius, has made arrangements for her to be buried in a private cemetery. He also said her sister Andromeda would take care of all plans for her.

I give you my deepest sympathy, Mr. Malfoy, my deepest.

With this burden of information, I hate to be the barer of continuous bad news but also upon the reading of Skeeter's article your father issued a Decree of Disownment.

He told me to send all of the Disownment documentations for you to read and sign. The documents include all of his requests. To send these documents back to the Ministry it is required that you bring them personally with permission from Headmistress McGonagall.

Again I am sorry for your loss.

With Sincerity,

Kingsley Shacklebolt

Minister of Magic