Summary: Draco Malfoy was placed under Harry's supervision for a whole year.
Warning: Profanity, sex in later chapters.
Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine.
Author's Note: This was written from those random three words prompts and surprisingly it got me started. I am thinking for it to be around 12~15 chapters at most.
Chapter One - Unnecessary Actions to Unwanted Results
The court was silenced of its chattering as the gavel in the judge's hand hammered down.
"The court hereby declares Draco Malfoy clear of guilt in Death Eaters activities." The judge paused significantly, long enough for the crowd to start fussing again, but short enough for them not being able to really open their mouths, and continued. "However, he is proved guilty in the cause of the Battle at Hogwarts, School of Witchcrafts and Wizardry. Thus, the court comes into discussion with the jury, and had all agreed upon placing Mr Malfoy under suspension of access to Malfoy Manor and the Malfoy vaults in Gringotts for one year."
Draco, standing in the middle of the courtroom, cannot believe his ears. Even if he did know that he won't be sentenced for anything involved with the Death Eaters, he also knew that he too won't be able to walk away without paying some consequences. But this… to be denied of his own family properties were just too beyond his expectations that he was rendered speechless momentarily.
When he finally found his voice, which was only a few seconds time but it definitely had felt like an eternity for him, opening his mouth to question and protest the unfairness of the decision, but someone else beats him to it.
"Your Honour, is this the final decision that the court has come to? Or is there still a chance for changes?" said the voice that he'd been hearing for the last half an hour.
Potter.
Draco can't help the urge to roll his eyes, and so he did, and he doesn't care if anyone had noticed. But since the whole room's attention was locked onto Potter there, he doubted it. Of course Harry Potter had to stick his nose into anything whether or not it concerned him.
He did not ask him to testify for him, though he was grateful that he did that for his mother. But that does not mean that he could just act as if he had a say in any of this, because he doesn't , and believed that he can change the decision of the Wizengamot, Survivor of Wizarding World or not.
What he didn't know was that he was about to be proved wrong to have underestimated the influence of the Chosen One.
The judge regarded Potter with cool eyes, although her softened expression betrayed her attitude towards the Golden Boy. She gave a nod and asked, "You have a better suggestion, Mr Potter?"
Potter looked unprepared to the question, and he blinked for a moment before he cleared his throat and replied, "Um, no. Not really. I wouldn't say it's a better suggestion other than that I do have one. That is, if you're willing to hear me out, Your Honour."
The woman only gestured with her hand to mention for him to go on.
Potter nodded back and stood up a bit straighter. Draco caught Potter glancing at him from the corner of his eyes - whereas Draco was now openly looking back at him – before he launched into yet another speech of his.
"Your Honour. Before I make my suggestion, may I confirm that Narcissa Malfoy was sentenced house arrest at the Manor, for the duration of a year, too?" At the judge's nod, he continued on. "So, money issues aside, if Draco Malfoy is to proceed with his penalty, it would mean that he will not be able to see his mother for a whole year onwards. And, for that matter, will he be given back the access after the year is up?" And then Potter looked at the judge for confirmation again.
Draco sneered at Potter, doesn't matter if he saw it or not. Who does he think he is? Charging into other people's business as though he has the right to?
He knew there was a reason that he despised Gryffindors so much, especially Harry Potter. They just believed that they had to be saving people every day as if otherwise they don't know what else they could be doing with their lives. Especially Harry Potter. Damn his bloody hero complex and all that rot.
I don't need your help. If you haven't budged in, I would've handled the situation well enough myself.
"Mr Malfoy will have his access granted back once he has proved he was regretful to his previous wrongdoings and that he was no longer harm to the Wizarding society."
The sound of the she-judge's voice brought Draco back out of his thoughts and back to the situation on hand.
He saw Potter nodding to himself – or maybe to the judge, he's not sure and he doesn't care either, really – and opened that mouth of his which just don't know how to and won't ever shut the fuck up.
To be honest, Harry has no idea what the hell was he doing, standing up – yes, standing up – for the git who he testified for only out of pity for him and the idea that he thought Malfoy doesn't deserve to be placed in Azkaban, even if he was an annoying shit. And Mrs Malfoy's sparing his life in the woods has very much made up for it. So if it was not for the sake of Draco Malfoy himself, it is for the sake of Mrs Malfoy then.
Anyone deserves a second chance. And that was the initial intention that he is standing here now.
Now that he know that as long as Malfoy be a goodie-goodie and behave in this year of sentence, he would have nothing to lose, only got cut off with financial supports and not being able to live in his own house, but that's not his problem. The reason that he spoke up, was because he knows how it would feel to be separated from the only family that you were left of.
And nobody deserves that.
He gave a bow to the judge before he straightened up to say, "May I suggest that letting Mr Malfoy visit his mother once every week so not to cut off the family relations, while still serving what the court has decided for his sentence. It might help keeping him intact and harmless, too. I suspect that he may be urged to do regrettable things if he was kept from seeing his family, just to take out the frustration." He paused, turning to look at Malfoy and met his unmoving gaze. And then added, "I would."
The crowd witnessing the scene started to murmur to each other and among themselves once again. The judge turned to the juries to discuss possible outcomes. Harry saw that some of them were nodding, and some of them were frowning, not only to Malfoy but to him as well. It was as though his suggestion was so disturbing to them that they took the blame on him for bringing it up, instead of Malfoy now.
Harry glanced at Malfoy again and this time saw him scowling hard at him. He shrugged at Malfoy and tried to convey his message of I don't know what I am doing as well, if you could believe me with his eyes. Sadly, Malfoy only turned away from him, looking up at the judge who was still engaged in deep discussion.
What was I doing, really? Harry asked himself one last time and stifled a sigh as he waited for the results.
Great. Look what you've done, Potter.
Draco would never admit that he was actually hopeful for the second final decision that the Wizengamot was about to state. That does not mean he was happy with how it had come to that, though. Yes, it was one of his complaints that he was about to speak for himself – which was what he supposed to do – which concerns about not being able to see his mother. His father was sentenced to Azkaban for the Kiss without any further interrogations and no one to give testimonies. That meant his mother was all he was left with, and he will be damned if he was not able to protect her or having that right taken away from him.
But that does not mean Harry. Bloody. Potter. Has to step in for him to have it known. And now, if the court disagrees, then that would just mean Potter had done nothing in help and proved that the power in his name was clearly not as influential as he thought it was. And if the court agrees, then that would too mean that he would owe Potter a favour for the rest of his life. And if he's honest with himself, the latter was worse.
Malfoys do not owe people favours. They just don't. And especially to Harry Potter. It was bad enough already to have him testify for him, and now he was even bargaining with the Wizengamot? What kind of person who has a right mind does that? Not that he ever thought Potter's sane, going into suicide and every disgusting perspective for the greater good and everything else that he had done. But this was just, even idiot seemed like an insult that was too intelligent to describe him now.
And now it comes to this: if the decision turns out positive, that Potter had indeed won his end of bargain, for him, then he could walk away without having to worry about not being able to see his mother, but with the burden of that forever weight that was called 'I owe Potter something' on his shoulders. If the decision turns out negative, then… oh he don't know what he'd do if it comes to that.
But really, anything is better than owing Potter a favour.
Then, the loud thud the gavel colliding with the tall counter where the judge sat echoed in the room once again.
Draco could not help his heart beating so fast as though it would burst out of his chest any moment as he stared at the woman who will be determining his fate in just a minute, waiting with a heavy resignation that he hasn't realized its existence until it had already settled itself in his stomach.
As if in slow motion, Draco watched the judge opened her mouth bit by bit, his anticipation turning into anxiety even though he wasn't even sure which answer he was hoping for.
Then the stern female voice boomed over his eardrums as his fate was placed in front of him, daring him to look away and deny its existence.
"Court of Wizengamot hereby declares Draco Malfoy is forbid of access to the Malfoy vaults in Gringotts, however he will not be denied of access to Malfoy Manor but only with restrictions. Mr Malfoy may enter Malfoy Manor once a fortnight solely to visit his mother, and is not to be allowed to stay overnight. Furthermore, the Court has decided to place Mr Malfoy under Mr Potter's surveillance for as long as this sentence lasted. He is not to be permitted to go anywhere else other than Malfoy Manor without the company of Mr Potter. Wizengamot officials will be checking up on random times. This is final. Thank you all for attending. This case is now closed." Then she hammered the gavel again, causing everyone to jump out of their trance or shock or whatever that they were experiencing. She rose to her feet, turned, and left.
Draco was stunned.
This was way worse than what he had expected.
Potter, look at what you've done!
What have I done? Malfoy is to stay with me now? I was, I was to watch him? For a full year?
Harry knew he should have kept his mouth shut.
But he just had to open his stupid mouth and say it out loud that no one deserves to be denied of his family, and look what he ended up with? It is now his bloody responsibility to keep Malfoy in check.
He can't even stand one minute being with him, how was he going to survive living with him for a whole sodding year?
It was not until he recovered from his shock to realize that almost everyone has cleared out of the courtroom. Harry turned to look at Malfoy only to find he was staring blankly at him, his face wiped out of any possible emotion, his hands clenched into balls at his sides.
Harry sighed hopelessly; fighting the impulse to wipe at his forehead which he was sure had sweats on it now. He straightened up, extended his hand towards the exit, and said with the same resignation that Malfoy had experienced just a moment ago, reluctantly, as well.
"Well? Let's get a move one then, I suppose." And with that being said, he waited till Malfoy moved ahead of him – which was not until he stared or glared at Harry for a moment longer before he actually swing one of his legs forwards and started moving – and then proceed to follow him out of the room.
Harry just hoped that it won't be as bad as he expected it to be. Which he doubted, oh so very much.
Great. Just great.