The final battle was won, now was the time for the wounded, the lost, the broken, the survivors to begin to rebuild their lives.

If rebuilding was possible…

It was not, how could any of them begin to live that life again with all the gaps and holes left in their hearts. There were to many people lost and the thing they could not get back.

Draco Malfoy looked at the rubble around him, the ruins of the Castle he once called home, reduced to dust, bloody dust.

If rebuilding was impossible, then what could he do next? If moving on was unthinkable, then how could he move forward?

The only thing Draco had left was to start again. Take baby steps as if the ground he walked on was being walked on for the first time. As if clocks hadn't ticked before now. Using wands and spells for the first time.

Of course some things would remain, some things would not be forgotten. Some holes would gape and ooze for years to come. Full recovery seemed unlikely. Some wounds can only heal so much.