Hey Guys! I'm Tara and this is our first colab piece! Full of Drarry... Well, future Drarry goodness ;D
I'm Cassiel aka Cassi and I wrote this whole thing...just kidding. I had help from these two chuckleheads, but all they wanted to do was sit around and tell jokes and laugh god! The nerve. *dramatic sigh* Anyway I hope this didn't disuade you from reading. And enjoy!
And obviously, they saved the best for last. I'm Jessica (the only normal one out of this group). And I love you viewers the most. So leave all sorts of awesome comments. Have fun!
"^^ Don't you love how my own words get used against me.. Hehehe... Alright now off you go to enjoy the show!
This Story is Dedicated to our dearest Cassi ;3 We love you darling! :3
Disclaimer: Even though we wish we did, we do not own Harry Potter :P
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The thought of what Draco was about to do made his stomach twist up in painful knots. During the war, he had committed so many sins that shame and guilt overwhelmed him. After his father volunteered him to be the one that would let the Death Eaters into Hogwarts, everything after that slid downhill rapidly. When he had Dumbledore at wand point that night on the astronomy tower, he wasn't able to stomach the thought of actually murdering someone, much less his headmaster; in fact he lowered his wand. That was until the Death Eaters stormed in and Snape, his own godfather, cast the killing curse.
When Harry Potter himself was captured by that band of snatchers and brought to Malfoy Manor with Granger and the Weasel, it was the best that he could do to lie about him actually being the Golden Boy. If he also tried to claim that Granger was someone else however, then his lie would have blown up in his face. The gruesome screams that ripped from her throat made him grind his teeth as he forced himself to sit still in that plush armchair. Bellatrix had not lightened up on the girl, who he had to admit was the bravest witch that he knew. Granger never gave in.
While he was at Hogwarts for his unfinished year, he searched high and low for the Ravenclaw Diadem, a direct order from Voldemort, but had been unsuccessful in finding it. As the war raged through the halls, it was only by chance that he saw Potter rushing into the Room of Requirement. Quickly following him into the room, Draco cornered him when the boy found the Diadem. Their conversation was short and he knew that Potter understood the hidden meaning behind his words, but he couldn't bring himself to care. When Greg set the room on fire, Draco was shocked that Potter came back for them, getting them out of the room before the doors disappeared.
As the Death Eater army marched out of the Forbidden Forest, Draco felt as if his entire world had shattered into millions of pieces at the sight of a deceased Harry Potter being carried in the half-giant's arms. The dark side couldn't have won the war, not with that mad man of a lunatic ruling them. Yet when Voldemort called out to the light, that whoever came forward would be allowed to live, it was a very painful awakening.
So when Narcissa called out for him, Draco walked forward, despite the guilt that came from the eyes boring into his back, unable to look at anyone as he passed. After the severely awkward and frightening hug from the Dark Lord, his mother took his hand and marched them back the way that the army had come. Only moments later Lucius followed them, having come to the decision that his family and life were more important than his good graces with Voldemort.
Smoke billowed up from the small town at the bottom of the hill, caught up in a blazing inferno that was no doubt caused by the Death Eaters. From across the bridge he could see for the first time, just how decimated the school was. Huge chunks of wall had been blasted away and most of the windows were shattered out, the Astronomy Tower barely stood. Tears stung his eyes as he was torn through space, landing soundly on his feet in the foyer of their Milan summer home. The last thing he had seen were colorful yet deadly spells being fired as the two armies erupted into battle once more.
By the next morning the head article in the Daily Prophet was that Potter had defeated Voldemort, leaving no remains of the menace behind. After he'd read the article during breakfast, Draco immediately excused himself and locked himself up in his bedroom for some much needed thinking space. When he finally came to his decision and after much thought and deliberation he decided that he was going to start repenting his sins by helping rebuild Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. It would be a small effort on his part, but it was a start.
Draco huffed as he levitated another piece of roof out of his path. This was where he resigned himself today. His life officially dedicated to rebuilding and recreating the destruction that he helped cause. It would be a lie if he said that he felt comfortable being around these people. Even though the Malfoy family donated enough money to rebuild Hogwarts single handedly; money didn't wipe the glares off of the many faces, nor did it stop any of the whispers or rumours.
With a muttered spell and a flick of his wand, the collapsed wall in front of him rebuilt itself. The image of Dumbledore walking down the street flashed through Draco's mind, his air of whimsical genius surrounding him like a cloak, waving his wand just once would make Hogsmeade the beautiful place it had once been. These were false hopes however and in all sorts of honesty this destruction was partially his fault.
Subconsciously Draco's eyes roamed, but not once did he look anyone directly in the eye. It was a side effect from the past happenings; it had been a requirement to keep his eyes lowered. Everyone around him was either a Gryffindor or one of the few Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. There were no Slytherins within sight and that made him uneasy. Would they return when the school year began? When Snape dragged him off of the school grounds on the night of Dumbledore's death, he had prayed that he would never have to step foot into Hogwarts again.
The memories of green streams of light and falling bodies hitting the floor with sickening thuds were unbearable; but with his mother's insistence that he goes back to receive his N.E.W.T's he agreed to return. His father's infamous, 'Malfoy's-Don't-Run-Away-From-Problems' look, had been another of his deciding factors. He wasn't running though; Draco was sticking to his survival tactic, fight or flight.
Waving his wand at some fallen pieces of ply wood, he levitated them to the side to be vanished by the others. It wasn't hard to notice that every time he turned around, someone would give him a dirty look. Not that he blamed them much; his father had probably murdered someone in their family. What they were really sore for however was that Lucius had gotten away with it.
After much time and deliberation from the crumbling regime of the Wizengamot, it was decided that Lucius Malfoy would not serve time in Azkaban. People all over the wizarding world were mortified by the verdict, but it was decided that the Death Eater acted under duress for the safety of his family and therefore had been placed under house arrest for three years.
Draco would have been lying if he said that he was happy with this news however. He had been the one to grow up in that house and had seen that his father was as eager as the next firsthand. Despite the fact that Lucius was not as demented as his aunt Bellatrix, his father had cursed, tortured, and murdered to fall into the Dark Lord's good graces. Though he wanted to speak up against Lucius, pureblood code was spun so tightly that he was forbidden from saying things that would hurt his family.
Even thus, his father wasn't the only reason. Everyone in the wizarding world knew that Draco had knowingly taken the Dark Mark, signing his life away without a second thought. His fingers traced the sleeve covered forearm as if on impulse. No matter what month it happened to be, Draco wore long sleeved shirts that hid the mark that so many scowled at. When he didn't anyone who happened to catch a glimpse of it would throw things at him and shout obscene violent words. This mark was no longer of the Dark Lord, it was of shame.
Small children would run at the sight of him and mothers would usher their children in a different direction muttering warnings in their ears. There were even certain restaurants and shops that he'd been forbidden from entering. St. Mungo's had even delayed his mother's treatment. He hated how he was being treated, but he knew that he deserved every bit of it. Life was no longer as luxurious as before.
Unlike most people Draco hadn't lost any family members, so he wouldn't complain. While he had seen the dead lying clumped together in the halls, none of them happened to be anyone that he personally knew. Shaking his head to clear the images out of his mind, he walked down the street looking for different things to fix. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Potter walk out of a newly renovated house with his friends. Of course if it was for a good cause, Saintly Potter would be in attendance.
Rolling his eyes as the golden boy erupted into laughter from something that the Weasel had said, Draco approached one of the nearest fallen buildings. With a slight move of his wrist, he moved a particularly large piece of roof back into place. He startled when a high-pitched wail cut through the stuffy air. Blinking in surprise he stared at the pile of rubble at his feet, what in Merlin's name? The cry echoed once again, harsh and insistent. Everyone within range of the sound stopped what they were doing and looked around in curiosity, trying to locate the source of the noise.
Dread filled him as he realized that the sound was coming from under the rubble in front of him. By Merlin, Draco thought as his eyes widened, it was a survivor. "Over here!" He yelled out in panic, "Someone's under here!" The first person to reach his side was Potter and with one look at the other, they climbed through the broken wood, plaster, and glass to reach the screaming.
Together they began to manually lift and move the pieces of debris out of the way, forgetting momentarily that they were able to use magic. As the pile started to get smaller and smaller Draco began to think that maybe had been mistaken, but as they moved one final piece Potter gave a sound of surprise causing another scream to ring in his ears. Shoving the wood out of the way he was finally able to see who was underneath.
A small girl lay curled up in a ball, fat tears running down her cheeks. Draco's chest tightened at the sight of her mud matted hair and fearful brown eyes. He had been one of the things that cause this, because of his cowardice she could have died; just like many others had. It was all because he was too afraid to stand up to the influences around him. Scowling Draco shut his eyes to fight of the overwhelming wave that was shame and guilt.
"Shh; Everything is going to be okay." The words made his eyes snap open to find Potter kneeling in front of the girl, quietly whispering reassurances to her. She had buried her face in her hands, but her crying had quieted down slightly. By now whispers were loud in Draco's ears as the crowd around him grew.
"You're safe now. No one is going to hurt you." Seeing that the girl was far from believing Potter's words, Draco knelt down beside him, ignoring the hisses of disapproval from behind. At this moment, he didn't give a bloody fuck what they thought. This little girl was scared out of her mind and he wouldn't have them believe that he was a heartless bastard; like they would if he just shoved her off to Potter.
At the sound of someone else beside her, the girl looked up at him through her mud streaked bangs. Panic ran deep in his chest when he realized that he had nothing prepared to say. Blinking quickly he tried to remember what his mother had done for him when he was this age. After a moment, he sent what he hoped was a reassuring smile and placed his hand on her cheek, gently wiping some of the tears away, "Come with us. We'll take you somewhere safe."
With one last pitiful sounding whimper the girl crawled forward into Draco's outstretched arms. Breathing a sigh of relief he hugged her to his chest protectively. At least she didn't seem to fear him like the other children. As soon as she was safely in his arms however the crowd went into an uproar. "Don't let that murderer near her!" "He can't be trusted!" "Death Eater!"
Clenching his teeth, Draco silently wished that could hex the teeth out of every single person around him, but he knew that there was nothing that he could do; he just had to grin and bear the reactions. When he stood he could feel Potter's gaze on him, watching his every move with suspicion, "Potter, what do we do now? Where do we take her?"
For once, the Gryffindor shrugged weakly, looking just as lost as Draco felt. "We could take her to Madam Pomfrey. Maybe she would know what to do with her."
With a steady grip Draco adjusted the girl on his hip, very aware of her expressive brown eyes that continued to watch him. Watching where he took each step, he made his way out of the rubble and onto solid ground. Thin arms wrapped around his neck as he walked and he was able to note just how dark a blonde her hair was under the patches of mud; like his own hair was when he was her age. When he was finally on stable ground, Granger marched up to him.
"Here," she said while reaching her arms out for the girl, quite ready to take her away from him, "Give her to me." As soon as the witch's hands landed on her waist, that heart wrenching wail ripped from her throat causing Draco's ears to ring and Granger to jump back startled.
The arms around his neck tightened as the girl buried her face into his shoulder repeatedly muttering, "No no no no no no," in his ear. Positive that he was doing the right thing, Draco hugged the girl closer while shooting a glare at Granger.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" A helpless look came over her face as she knew that she couldn't say anything outright against him, "Back off Granger." Potter's hand on his shoulder convinced him to walk away from the scene, ignoring the upset murmuring of the crowd.
As they made the trek up the hill they walked in silence, unwilling to speak in case they broke out in an argument. The rocking of his steps must have been calming for the girl's eyes drifted shut before they were even out of the village. Potter continued to send him questioning glances, eyes doubtful and curious. Though uncomfortable with the other boy's eyes on him, Draco made sure to keep his gaze forward.
With a little help from the Gryffindor he was able to enter the doors of the school without having to wake the girl. As soon as they were inside the still crowded Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey rushed over to them. Her dark eyes took one look at Draco with the girl before frowning, "Why do you have a young girl, Mr. Malfoy?" Just like all of the others, she despised him.
"Malfoy found her while he was renovating one of the houses in Hogsmeade, Madam Pomfrey," Draco's eyes flickered in Potter's direction before bouncing the girl further up his hip once more. A small yawn rose to his ears and he looked down into the sleep clouded eyes staring up at him. At first fear flashed through her eyes before she realized who was holding her. Once sure that it was in fact who she thought, the girl snuggled back into Draco's hold to the shock of the medi-witch.
Narrowing her eyes Pomfrey reached for the girl, "Let's check her over then." Seeing what the woman was trying to do, Draco stepped back out of her reach with a glare. Was everyone around him mentally ill? Anger rose in Pomfrey's eyes and he sneered at her.
"Don't touch her." It was simple and to the point, he narrowed his eyes at her, watching as his words ruffled her feathers even more. Seeing that an argument was going to break out, Harry jumped in and explained what had happened when Hermione had tried to take her.
Realizing that she was fighting a losing battle, Pomfrey motioned for Malfoy to sit in the empty chair of her desk, "Very well then." When he was sure that the girl was comfortable, the medi-witch waved her wand over the girl muttering some basic health spells. A moment later the wand lit up in a dull green and she nodded in satisfaction, "She will be fine. She just needs to eat and drink plenty of water. It seems that she hasn't had any for two days."
Harry nodded as the woman took a short piece of white wood out of the top drawer of the desk, "What is that?" He glanced at the little girl, relieved that she was okay.
"This is a blood extraction stick. It doesn't hurt, but it will take some blood so that we will be able to find out who she is." Nodding at the words Harry took the stick and placed it flat against the girls shoulder. Though she stiffened, no cry came from her lips as the stick immediately turned a blood red. After handing Pomfrey the stick once more she muttered a charm and placed it on a blank piece of parchment. Words began to scribble themselves across it in black ink, "Elissa Annette Vandour."
The name Vandour rang a bell along his mind, but Harry couldn't think right off the bat where he had heard it. It was like a dream that you wake suddenly from and can't recall. Glimmering brown eyes watched him as the girl lay slack against Malfoy's chest. They seemed to search him, seeing if he could actually be trusted. He wasn't entirely sure that he liked how she seemed to trust Malfoy. There was something about her that screamed, 'Different'.
"Potter, are you listening?" the cutting voice of the Slytherin broke through his thoughts in an irritated manner. Damn, what made the Junior Death Eater moody?
"Look, I'm pretty sure that I have better things to do with my time than watch your pug-faced smirk," Harry sneered at the blond whose lips curled in a snarl. He may have voted to put his old ways behind him, to start anew, but Draco always had this way off digging right up under his skin in a way that no one else could.
"And, I have more things on my mind than having to listen to your whiny voice all evening," Malfoy's word brought a scowl to his features and Harry snorted in response. It was always amusing to him that he was one of the only people able to illicit such a response from the Ice Prince.
"Itching to try and redeem yourself by helping at the Ministry next, Malfoy? Get back into the higher ups good graces?" The dark glare that the blond sent him would have made him cringe if Harry wasn't smirking in accomplishment.
"Boys! If you're quite through, I'd like to discuss more pressing matters," Madam Pomfrey interrupted. Her voice cut through their glaring contest like a knife through butter. Simultaneously, they turned to face the woman.
Like Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey seemed wise beyond her years. From the many stories told by the late headmaster himself, Harry couldn't remember a time that she wasn't the school nurse, having been hired when Dumbledore was elected as headmaster. He'd bet that the woman had seen everything. Well, he glanced back at the Slytherin, everything except a little girl clutching to Malfoy as if her life depended on it.
There was a loud bang through the Hospital Wing as the doors opened and everyone turned their heads. Just the person I wanted to see, Harry thought with a smile as McGonagall walked towards them swiftly. With her head held high, she approached the two boys and looked down at the child with a mournful eye. "I regret to disclose that Gregory Vandour is amongst those who were killed in battle. And, Violet Vandour was registered deceased shortly after Ms. Elissa was born."
Shaking his head in amusement, Harry really should have known that his head of house would know about the girl. After all, McGonagall was Dumbledore's predecessor. He would even bet galleons that they hadn't once been involved. She even carried that whimsical charm about her as if it had been passed down.
"My daddy is dead?" the faint whisper came from the girl whose eyes were filled to the brim with tears. Both of the boys glared at McGonagall as Harry walked to where Malfoy sat. As he knelt down in front of her, his head of house seemed to realize what she'd done.
"Here let me take her," Pomfrey said softly, reaching her arms out. A shriek escaped Elissa's throat and Harry shooed her away. Malfoy had his mouth open to say something when Harry spoke gently to her.
"Hi Elsie," he smiled at her reassuringly as she turned her brown eyes on him. When she reached out for his hand Harry's grin widened as he took her smaller hand in his. At that moment, everyone knew why little kids seemed to fall in love with the Gryffindor. Yes he happened to be short like one; Malfoy smirked, but his who demeanor seemed to scream, 'Daddy'. It must be one of those Gryffindor things. "My name is Harry."
"Hi Harry," she whispered shyly and they watched in amusement as her cheeks flushed red.
"You see Madam Pomfrey here?" Elissa nodded as she glanced at the weirdly dressed woman, "Well, you see, she's my friend. If you go with her while we talk, I promise she'll take good care of you." Draco had to admit that with those words and that smile; even he would have gone with the medi-witch if Potter asked him to. Damn Gryffindor.
After a moment of hesitation, she began to wiggle out of Draco's arms. He quickly bent over and set her on the floor. When she was steady he had to bite back a smile as she toddled over to Pomfrey and grabbed a fistful of her billowing robes. Turning back, Elissa aimed a toothy grin at the boys as the medi-witch lifted the girl into her arms.
A throat clearing brought their attention back to McGonagall, "If you two will follow me, we have a few things to discuss." Draco glanced at his rival in confusion, but followed the professor none the less. She led the boys through mazes of fallen ceilings and caved in walls, until they reached the untouched gargoyle that guarded the entrance of the Headmasters office. Leaning forward she whispered lowly, "Red Vines."
Blinking in confusion, Draco frowned when Potter began to chuckle. "What the hell are Red Vines, Potter? Some kind of magical plant?"
Snorting loudly, the Gryffindor covered his face with his hands, shoulders shaking in laughter. "Yes, Malfoy. They're a magical plant." Obviously this answer didn't satisfy the blond as he jabbed him in the side with his finger.
"What the fuck are you laughing about?" Draco demanded, his brow furrowing in irritation. Really, the stress must be going straight to Potters head. The Bloody Savior had finally gone off his rocker.
"Come along," McGonagall said, cutting off whatever Potter was going to say. Shooting one last glare at him, Draco followed her up the stairs and into the office. Looking around he noticed that everything was still in the places that Dumbledore had left them, the notion bringing his to feel sick.
"Is it true that you were the ones that found the girl?" An uneasy expression took over her features as the words left her mouth and she turned to look out of the window. When she glanced back, Harry took the chance to nod, confused as to where the conversation was going. "And, have either of you heard of the Child Abandonment Law?" Shaking his head once more, his stomach dropped as McGonagall smiled grimly.
"What about it Professor?" Malfoy took the words right out of Harry's mouth.
"During the First Wizarding War, every time that you turned around, someone else had been murdered. So many children were left without homes or family and there simply weren't enough orphanages to care for them all. So, to solve this rapidly growing problem, the Ministry enacted a new law. It states that whoever first finds the abandoned child will remain responsible for said child until a proper home can be found." McGonagall met the boys eyes in turn, "Do you understand what I am saying?"
Silence echoed loudly in the room and then suddenly it all clicked into place like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Unable to wrap his mind around it, Draco began to open and close his mouth like a fish out of water, spluttering indignantly. McGonagall nodded while pursing her lips, "Yes. You two will be responsible for the care of Ms. Elissa. Together."
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