The following story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
He had to get out. He had to escape. He'd lived this way for far too long and it was time for it to end. He had seen the wrong in his ways and he had to fix it before it was too late.
"Darling, you can't do this!" cried his mother as he stormed past with his bags. His father was, as always, silent. He ignored her, marching to the kitchen and stuffing an empty bag with food. He had no idea where he was going to go… There were old school friends perhaps – but then he didn't really have friends did he? "Please, darling stop. Listen – we're going to make everything better. It'll be alright. You'll see," He looked down to his mother's tear stained face and his resolve wavered.
'Liar,' said a voice in his head. He looked away and began to make his way to the door again. His parents followed, his mother pleading with him to stay, saying that they would make it better. He snapped when his mother said that they'd never ask him to do anything like that again.
"You did once though! You asked the impossible of me before! And I welcomed the chance. I was nearly a murderer because of his weakness." He pointed his wand at his father and sparks flew from the tip. "How can I know you won't ask me to do something again? I can never know. So I'm done. I'm done with you people. I don't even recognise this house any more. I don't even recognise you anymore. I'm done," Tears streamed down his and his mother's face. His father was still impassive.
"Darling-" his mother began.
"God damn it, boy!" his father finally snapped. "You're going to have nothing. No one will ever trust you again. Soon you're going to come crawling back to us, needing our help because you're weak. You know nothing about what I did for you and your mother. Nothing. Don't get all high and mighty because 'we're the bad guys.' We've done all we can to protect you and suddenly you don't need that any more. You still need us, boy. But maybe we don't want to help you anymore." His voice was calm as he replied to his father.
"I mightn't know what you've done for me or Mother. But I know what you haven't done. You haven't raised me. You haven't given a damn about me since the day I was born. Sure, you've pruned me into a perfect little heir to sit on your stupid little throne but nothing more. There was no care in any interactions we've ever had. You would have sacrificed me for the greater good of the losing side. I don't doubt that that wouldn't happen again, Father." With that, he stepped outside and made his way to edge of the protective wards so he could apparate. He heard his mother calling out for him to come back but he ignored her.
He apparated straight to the one person who might help him. There was no one else he thought would be willing. The door opened soon after he knocked and a smirk appeared on the other man's face.
"Please, I need your help."
Blaise Zabini leaned against the door frame of his fancy London flat, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Well, well, well… Who'd have thought I'd have Draco Malfoy knocking on my door asking for assistance?"
Draco Malfoy worked tirelessly for the next year to clear his name and rid himself of the persona his family name gave him. He appeared in front of the Wizengamot on numerous occasions – to either clear his name or to fight for many of the causes he supported – such as the status given to Muggle-borns and the rights of House elves. Draco's parents had been pouring money into a bank account that he had sole control over. He used much of this money to help the causes that he fought for.
Draco lived with Blaise and worked in Flourish and Blotts for a time, namely to be able to put himself through Auror training. Blaise had been training for about a month and Draco soon caught up and they graduated together at the end of the course. After working as an Auror for about 2 months, Draco moved into his own flat although he and Blaise still remained close.
2 years, 4 and half months after Draco left his parents.
Ginny walked out into the sunshine, locating her family quickly by the flaming red hair. She had just been appointed a fully-fledged Auror by the Minister for Magic and was looking forward to her first day on Monday. Ginny looked over her family with bittersweet happiness. There was her Mum and Dad, Bill and Fleur, Charlie (who had flown out especially for her graduation ceremony), Percy and his partner who Ginny still didn't know the name of, Fred and George and Harry and Hermione. Ron was nowhere to be seen.
Having sat through one Weasley dinner with Harry and Hermione present, Ron decided he couldn't deal with them being together and had left England. After travelling the world looking for somewhere to settle, Ron picked New Zealand and now lived there with a young witch. He wrote from time to time but never visited, no matter how much Mum insisted. Ginny missed her brother dearly (despite all he had done) and wished he'd have returned to see her graduate.
"Ginny!" cried Hermione, hugging her tightly once she reached them. Ginny smiled and hugged her surrogate sister tightly. "Congratulations, you did wonderfully!" Hermione retreated to Harry's side as Molly Weasley rushed over. Ginny couldn't help but watch Harry and Hermione for a moment. As soon as Hermione was beside him, Harry wrapped his arms around her or linked their fingers together. Their eye's rather left each other and the Weasleys knew it wouldn't be long until there was a ring on Hermione's finger. Bill and Charlie had even placed bets on it.
"Ginny!" came the call of one of Ginny's fellow classmates. Ginny turned away from her family to see Annika Hartley walking over with a wide smile. Annika was the witch who had helped Harry move into his flat. She was tall, blonde and blue eyed. Annika had moved to England from America a year after the war ended. The two young women hugged and began discussing the ceremony.
"Do you know who your partner is?" asked Ginny. She knew nothing about her partner and was excited to find out who she had been paired with. Annika nodded.
"Yeah, he came and found me. Blaise Zabini." Ginny crinkled her nose and Annika stopped talking. "What?" she said, somewhat defensively.
"I knew him in school. Very vain and opinionated." Ginny said and Annika looked a taken back.
"That's a shame. He seemed really nice." Annika said thoughtfully, biting her bottom lip.
"He could've changed since I knew him – what with the war and all. You should keep an open mind – hell, I should too. I have no idea who my partner even is yet!" Ginny cried and Annika laughed.
"Excuse me, Gin," came Harry's voice and Ginny turned to him and Hermione. "We've got to head off. We're meeting 'Mione's parents for dinner." His eyes flickered to Annika for a moment. "Thanks again for your help the other week." Annika smiled warmly once more and Harry went on. "We just wanted to say congratulations again and let you know we were heading off."
"Of course, no problem. Thanks for coming and have fun tonight." Ginny tried to smile as warmly as Annika had as Harry and Hermione departed. She turned back to her friend with a slight scowl on her face. "We were saying..?" Ginny said.
"Cheer up Gin. I'm sure your partner will be lovely and everything will work out for the best." Annika glanced back over her shoulder. "I best be going, Ginny. Mum and Dad are going home tomorrow and I promised to take them out for dinner tonight. See you at work!" she said excitedly before kissing Ginny's cheek and walking over to her tanned parents.
Ginny turned back to her family who were chatting amongst themselves. She sighed and made her way back over to them.
"Ready to head home?" she asked, wanting to get out of her heavy dress robes. They all walked over to the apparition point, good naturedly arguing over what was for dinner. Ginny was very quiet, thinking over her jealous feelings toward Harry and Hermione.
'It's not that you've still got feelings for him. Heaven knows that ship sailed a long time ago.' She thought. Ginny noticed then that it was all the sweet little things that Harry did for Hermione that made her jealous. 'So you miss the closeness?' Ginny thought to herself. 'Well, where the hell are you going to get a man like Harry?' Ginny pushed these lonely thoughts aside, instead focusing on how happy she was to have achieved her goal and finished school.
Draco sat in his flat, sipping a glass of wine. There was a faint knock at the door before it opened and Blaise revealed him.
"Evening," he said, taking off his coat and pouring himself a scotch. Draco never drank scotch – he only had a bottle for when Blaise came round. It had been Lucius' drink and Draco remembered his father's scotch rank breath with fair too much clarity for his liking. "How come you weren't at the Auror graduation ceremony today?" Blaise sat.
"I forgot it was on," Draco said, none committedly. Blaise narrowed his eyes at Draco's tone.
"So you say," he murmured, sipping his drink. Draco looked at him with hard eyes.
"Who is your new partner?" Draco asked, looking away again. Blaise smirked.
"Are you jealous, Drakey-poo?" he said in a girly voice. "You know you'll always be my number one." Draco laughed without mirth – he'd been someone's number one before and that had got him nowhere. The two men were silent, sipping their drinks.
"You didn't answer my question." Draco said, standing to pour himself another glass.
"Nothing gets past you, huh?" Blaise said. Draco raised an eye brow at him as he avoided the question again. "Young bird, American. Blonde, tanned, all the stereotypical crap."
"So your type of woman," Draco toasted Blaise, smirking. Blaise was one for stereotypes. He liked daring and fiery red-heads, quiet and mysterious brunettes as well as quirky and flirty blondes. Blaise merely grinned.
"Who is your partner?" he asked but Draco remained silent. "Now who's avoiding the question?" Draco lifted up an important looking piece of paper that was stamped with the Ministry seal. He tossed it to Blaise. Blaise opened it and read quickly before laughing. Draco returned to his seat, no amusement on his face. "You're paired with her? Don't they know the history there?" he asked once he'd stopped laughing. Draco grimaced.
"Apparently not. I've done all I can to trade partners but they're adamant. I'm to work with… her." Blaise was sent into another fit of laughter. Draco merely drank his wine, trying not to roll his eyes at Blaise's antics.
Ginny woke early on Monday morning, her stomach bubbling with excitement. She dressed in jeans and a simple black shirt. She pulled on the black robe that had been supplied by the Ministry. The robe marked her as a trainee – she would soon be able to go to work without it.
Ginny happily danced downstairs, humming a song of her own creation. She entered to kitchen to feel the stares of 6 eyes on her.
"Morning..." said George. Ginny blushed as the memory of her and Harry kissing in very same kitchen flooded her mind.
"What are you all doing here?" she asked, accepting the glass of orange juice from her mum. Fred flipped a pancake expertly at the stove.
"Making you breakfast for your first day on the job. George and I got over here early and began cooking. Then suddenly Harry and Hermione were, saying they'd had the same thought – guess they'd been delayed, hey, Georgie?" Fred waggled his eyebrows at his twin while Hermione face-palmed.
"Indeed, Freddie. Now, Harry and Hermione, Fred and I were all delegating jobs so we could make breakfast for everyone. Everything was going smoothly until Mum and Dad appeared at the bottom of the stairs, wearing similar expressions to the one you were. We tried to send them back to bed by they wouldn't have a bar of it claiming some parental nonsense about being the ones to make you breakfast on your first day-"
"That's when Fred and George began spouting some nonsense about being proverbial early birds and then you entered." Harry finished, knowing how Fred and George got while retelling a story. Ginny looked at all of them.
"So you all got up early to make me breakfast?" she asked, feeling oddly touched by their gesture.
"Yes – although I'm the only one doing any form of food preparation." Fred said, catching a highly tossed pancake perfectly in the pan. Ginny smiled at the antics.
"Thank you all very much." Hermione slid a plate of maple-syrup covered pancakes to Ginny before cutting into her own. Harry joined her at the table while Arthur read the paper and Molly made some coffee. Fred and George bickered over who was a better pancake flipper before deciding to have a contest that night. Ginny smiled at her family, glad they were there to distract her from her nerves.
Ginny departed soon after, not wanting to be late. She kissed all of her family good bye before apparating. After entering the Ministry, Ginny made her way to where visitors checked in. It was there that she would get her pass for the next two weeks. Should she perform well, Ginny would be given a permanent pass and a place in the Auror department.
"Okay… Here's your pass. You'll need to show it to that witch over there." Said the man at the desk after scanning her wand and getting her name. "You're obviously on the Auror level with is level 2. Take one of the lifts – you stop at every level so you'll be on there a while. The office you're needed at is the third one on the left. I take it you don't know your partner yet?" Ginny shook her head. "Not to worry – they'll be expecting you. Remember, level 2, third door on the left." Ginny thanked the wizard and made her way over to the witch. The woman merely nodded and Ginny continued deeper into the Ministry. She wished her dad had come into work today. Or that Harry and Hermione had been with her. It was one of the few days that those three had off so Ginny hadn't said anything. The thought of them all waking up early on their day off to make her breakfast made Ginny smile as she got into a lift. She knew Percy would already be at work so there would've been no point asking him to accompany her.
Ginny finally got to level two – a few of her class mates got out another lift that had just arrived. Most smiled and a few wished her good luck. They all seemed know who their partner was. Ginny felt more butterflies erupt in her stomach. She walked down the narrow corridor and reached the third door on the left. There were no name tags on the doors and her feeling of dread increased. Ginny raised her fist and knocked tentatively.
"Come in!" came a man's voice. Ginny felt as though she'd heard the voice before but brushed it off as nerves. She opened the door slowly, stepping inside. A slim yet toned man with blonde hair and grey eyes turned around and Ginny gasped.
"Malfoy?"