Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Draco Malfoy silently followed the stern new Headmistress McGonagall down the street. His summer was looking dimmer by the second, not that it had been bright in the first place. He'd known since the beginning of his sixth school year that it was not something to look forward to, not with all the plans Voldemort had been making. But he hadn't thought anything would turn out like this. He'd always imagined bad, but he hadn't realized that things could be worse than bad.

Suddenly, the professor stopped, causing Draco to come up short and bump in to her. He quickly mumbled an apology, to which she did not seem to respond, and looked away at the form in front of them.

They were in a suburban middle class area, where Draco expected the houses to have a maximum of four or five rooms. There was nothing really special about the neighborhood. McGonagall had told him they were still in England, though he couldn't recognize the area at all. They'd floo'd over from Hogwarts, where Draco had been hiding after Voldemort killed his mother. McGonagall had decided that, with Dumbledore dead, Hogwarts was not as safe as it once was. So she was transferring him to a new location that would be very hard for Voldemort to find. Or so she said.

She probably just doesn't like me. I wouldn't blame her.

The door suddenly opened, and Draco realized that he had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed the Headmistress ring the doorbell. In the doorway stood a man in his mid-40s, about two or three inches shorter than Draco. He gave the woman a small smile.

"Hello, Ms. McGonagall. Please, come in! Please forgive us, you see, my daughter and wife have a previous engagement tonight, and will be leaving in about 20 minutes. They said ten, but you know women..." He trailed off there, suddenly realizing that McGonagall, too, was a woman, and instead, motioned her to follow him into the living room.

McGonagall smiled warmly at him and stepped inside, Draco following her. "Oh, that's quite all right, you know." She sat down and nodded towards Draco, "This is Draco Malfoy. I can't thank you enough for doing this. Draco is also very grateful."

"Yes, yes, I know. Though you really should be thanking Hermione, this was all her idea," the man glanced at Draco, "I'm still quite a bit against it."

Hermione?

Draco felt himself pale. Surely, they were speaking of a different Hermione.

Of course, Draco thought sarcastically, because Hermione is an awfully common name!

The gravity of the situation hit Draco hard. He realized with a start that he honestly had no idea what was going on. He did not know this place, or the house, or the people inside it. McGonagall had conveniently forgotten to inform him of the details in her plans.

"Draco," the professor motioned to the man, "this is Doctor James Granger. You will be staying here with the Grangers for the rest of the summer. I'm sure you will be a well-behaved guest, as they are so graciously accepting you into their home."

Draco did not know what to say.

"I'll go retrieve your bags, then." She stood up and went out the door, James―no, Mr. Granger frowned behind her.

"You left your bags outside?" He asked Draco.

Draco squirmed uncomfortably. The headmistress had shrunk all of his belongings before they had left Hogwarts, and she was no doubt re-sizing them now.

"We...forgot to bring them in," He answered in a meek voice. Mr. Granger did not answer him, but looked at him oddly.

She reappeared in the doorway with Draco's trunk and bag.

"Well," she said, "I'll just leave these here for you two to bring up. But before I leave Draco, I wanted I word with you outside."

He followed her out solemnly, and when she faced him he saw that she had a somber expression on her face as well. He could see the bags under her eyes that he had missed before, and the new wrinkles on her aged face.

"Draco," her voice was soft, "I just wanted you to know that this is a chance. A second chance, just for you. You can make different decisions now, and have a different future. You can be a different person, if you so wished it. I know you'll have problems with Hermione and the Grangers, but you can change and grow. If you wanted to. I can't let you stay at Hogwarts, and you know why." She held up a hand to silence his protests, then continued, "You'll be safe here, and I'll check up on you." She reminded him so much of his mother, "Take your time here, relax a bit. Enjoy the sun. Forget about everything. Be happy, Draco, I've seen you sulk far too much. With a bit of hope and good luck, Voldemort will be gone from this world and our memories."

Draco swallowed. Perhaps, over the last few weeks, he had grown a bit of a bond with the Headmistress.

"I'll owl you in a couple of days, Draco, until then," she smiled to him, "stay out of trouble."

With a small pop! she was gone, leaving Draco alone in a place he didn't know. He took a deep breath and headed inside.

Reviews are appreciated