Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Harry Potter universe, all characters belong to J.K Rowling.
Chapter One
Absolution (n.)
Release from guilt, punishment or obligation
After the war, Draco Malfoy was treated as somewhat of a social pariah. Shunned at restaurants, pubs and every wizard haunt he could think , his name and his fortune could only get him so far in post war Wizarding Britain. Women clutched their children close and men glared at him with contempt and hissed, ' death eater scum' as he walked past them. Draco tried to summon his hatred for those of lesser blood, which he had felt so intensely during his younger years, but only found himself burdened with feelings of resignation.
His parents had not been sent to Azkaban. Due to the fact that Narcissa had lied to Voldemort in the forbidden forest and Lucius providing information leading to the capture of his fellow death eaters that went into hiding. He himself had not been sent to Azkaban because he had been underage when he first joined the death eaters and because he hadn't revealed Potter and his friends identities when they had been captured. He had Potter to thank for telling that last bit of information during his trial, which in his mind changed it's outcome. So, he only had to pay a fine of one million galleons to the ministry's war relief fund and he was a free man.
The only thing was, he wasn't free, not with the nightmares that plagued him every night and the feelings of guilt that followed every morning. The shame, anger and self-loathing seemed to be eating at his very soul and he wasn't sure how much longer he could take it.
Which was why he was here, outside a bookstore in muggle London. He briefly hesitated before venturing into the store, looking for familiar brown, bushy hair. He found Hermione Granger standing on a ladder with her back towards him, sorting the books on the shelf. Patiently, he waited for her to notice him and after awhile he cleared his throat. She turned around, saw him and gave a small shriek of surprise before losing her footing and falling to the ground in front of him.
"Merlin's beard Granger, I know I'm good looking but you don't have to fall to the ground when you see me." he drawled while moving to help her.
"Malfoy!" she spat, pushing his hands out of the way and scrambling to her feet.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, I opened my mouth to reply as she cut me of. "Wait! Scratch that, just how on earth did you find me?" she asked scowling.
"You should thank Potter for that, Granger."he told her. "Harry told you where I was!" she exclaimed angrily, "How DARE he!" her fists clenched and her posture grew rigid.
"Well in his defense, I had to persuade him a great deal to get him to tell me where you were, Granger." "He wasn't letting up until I told him I had to- uhhh"
"Yes Malfoy, please tell me what you had to do that requires my presence."she says with a hint of scorn.
"Apologize,"he replies stiffly "I wanted to apologize to you." Her brown eyes narrowed at that, " Well then, get on with it." "I assure you Granger, it has cost me a great deal of pride to be here. The least you could do is suggest some place elsewhere so I can grovel in private."he bit out.
She gazed at him, her eyes softening a little bit. "Grovel?"she questioned.
"Yes.I mean, if you want me to." he replied awkwardly.
She sighed, " My shift is just about over. There's a coffee shop just down the street, meet me there in fifteen minutes." I nod my head and walk toward the exit.
"You're not going to stand me up are you?" he asked without looking back.
"Wouldn't dream of it, Malfoy. Besides, I'm not going to miss the chance to see you grovel in front of me." He can almost hear the smirk in her voice as he walks out the store.
The coffee shop down the street is a quaint establishment. It isn't crowded, which is good in case this meeting of sorts gets confrontational. The remaining ten minutes feel like hours and just as he resigns himself to the fact that she's not coming, she walks into the shop and takes a seat opposite him.
She orders coffee and some scones for both of them. When the waitress turns around and heads toward another table, he blurts out, " I'm sorry, I'm sorry for the way I treated you in school and I'm sorry my crazy aunt tortured you in my house and I didn't do anything to help you when I should've-"
She puts her hand on top of his, " Stop right there, Malfoy. I get you apologizing for your actions in school, but you don't have to apologize to me for the torture I was put through by Bellatrix."
"But I still should've-".
She cuts him of, " You were a child, Malfoy. Surrounded by your family, there was nothing you could've done. You shouldn't blame yourself."she paused, "I certainly don't blame you."
He stares at her in new light as she sips her coffee. "Then tell me Granger, what should I apologize for,"
"Well ,you can apologize for calling me a mudblood and for being a bully all those years ago."
He sighs," All right Granger, I apologize for calling you that word and for being in general, a bully." She nods and absently touches her forearm.
"Does it hurt? You're scar, I mean," he questions.
"Sometimes," she replies, " Bellatrix used a cursed blade. So, there is no way to get rid of the scarring."
"What about yours?"
"What do you mean?" he asks slightly puzzled. "
"Your dark mark," she clarifies. " It's still there?" she asks.
He nods and roles up his sleeve to reveal the faded outline of the dark mark." It faded when Voldemort died, but it looks like there's no getting rid of it" he said bitterly as he buttoned his sleeve. He wants to change the topic so he asks about Potter and Weasley.
"Well, Harry joined the Auror program and he's with Ginny now."
" Potter's with Weasley. Ah, that sounds so-"
" Anyway," she interrupts him, " Ron's also joined the Auror program and he's dating Lavender Brown" she slumps a little in her seat as she says that. "
"You know, I always thought that you and Weasley would end up together" he stated. "We tried, after the war. But, we decided we were better of as friends. I still see Harry and Ron from time to time but, we need to undergo our own individual healing processes."
"That's why you took a job in a muggle bookstore" he pointed out.
" Yes and I needed a break from the magical world" she replied. She looks at her watch, " I have to go now, Malfoy." She stands up and puts down the money for her coffee and share of scones before turning toward the exit. She hesitates and slowly turns back to him, " We should meet here, again. Same time, next week?"
He looks at her in surprise answering, "Allright Granger, but only because the scones here are so good" giving her a tiny smirk.
She gives him a small smile in return and nods her head, " You know you should really start calling me Hermione" she says as she exits the shop.
" Okay, Hermione" he says under his breath, unaware of the smile that slowly appears on his face.
A/n: So this is my first fic. Please be nice in the review section. Constructive criticism is appreciated. This will be a two-shot.