It was a quiet Saturday at the Burrow. Molly had made breakfast for everyone and then disappeared to her bedroom where she spent most of her time, she couldn't look at George and so she called him last and left before he reached the bottom of the stairs. Her voice breaking as she almost called for Fred. She lent against the wall and took a deep breath, she didn't let her other children see her cry until Harry had caught her out in the garden holding Fred's broomstick and gasping for breath. It was hard for everyone, the Burrow had new residents along with the original residents. Harry and Hermione had moved in after they came back from St Mungo's. Most of the students had spent time in that hospital after the battle, nurses attending to their wounds and battle scars. However what they couldn't cure were the nightmares that crept in every night, haunting anyone who was there that fateful night.
"What do you think will happen in September?" Ginny asked the group curiously, her mouth half full of jam toast. She would be completing her final year...or she should be. George hadn't even set foot in Diagon Alley never-mind tend to the shop he shared with his twin, he spent his time in the attic going through all his old things he kept with Fred. Harry, Ron and Hermione had skipped their final year in search for the horcruxes and so they had already accepted they lost their chance at their final year. "Well?" Ginny persisted as no one had answered.
"From McGonagall's letters the Ministry are trying their best to rebuild the school in time for the new school year." Hermione answered sipping on her coffee. The heat from the mug warming her hands as she found it difficult to get heat into her since the battle. Ginny let a small sigh out, perhaps she wasn't getting a year off school after all.
"Couldn't go back there. I dunno how those sixth years are gonna cope." Ron muttered, true he was as McGonagall had let anyone above the age of 16 stay and fight if they wanted. Returning to the place where they seen their classmates die and innocents murdered would be incredibly traumatising.
"I'm sure they'll change it though...won't they? Build new corridors and rooms." Ginny said hesitantly. Harry, Percy and George refused to tell anyone where Fred actually died , they just said he died in an explosion while protecting the secret passageways. In Ginny's mind she wanted to know so that she could go to the place and feel somewhat at peace with what happened but Harry thought it would just haunt her in her final year.
"I'm sure they will. But they'll try their best to salvage what they can from the rubble and remains." Harry answered calmly. Ginny nodded and the room fell silent.
The silence was interrupted with Arthur Weasley entering through the side door at the kitchen, a worried look on his face as he clutched a large envelope. He approached the table of the four children and set his bags down. They all stopped eating and looked up at him.
"Dad, what's wrong? The Ministry lost death eaters again?" George asked, he did try his best to be funny and make jokes but his heart wasn't in it anymore. Arthur shook his head and sat at the end of the table looking down at the four of them.
"It seems the Ministry has an idea about those students that were meant to complete their final year, this year. Harry, Ron, Hermione that means your entire year." He said looking at the three of them. He opened the envelope and started to read. "It in our best interests that any student that fought in the Battle of Hogwarts and was unable to complete their final academic year shall be placed into safe houses in September and will complete their studies from their with occasional visits from teachers. These safe houses will be under Ministry of Magic supervision and are mandatory. Each building will house six students and will be a mixture of the Hogwarts houses. Students may not leave the premises without permission from the headmistress Minerva McGonagall."
"You're barking. They're locking us all up in houses and forcing us to study?" Ron said outraged. His face growing redder the more he thought about the prospect of another year of school.
"Think of it like staying in Gryffindor tower for the school year and studying from there. Ron there is nothing I can do, McGonagall has agreed that this can be a way to check on how students are coping with everything and that no one is dealing with it alone. " Arthur tried to explain. It wasn't less than two hours ago he had recieved the news and apparated to McGonagall's cottage outside Hogwarts to argue that it was a horrid idea. And only less than half an hour ago, he left convinced that it was the appropriate thing to do. Sixth years couldn't return to Hogwarts as there was no space in their house rooms. He was even more convinced when McGonagall explained that some students weren't coping well with the tragic events and their parent's had wrote to her begging for a solution.
"Another year of education then? We get to finish our OWLs properly." Hermione exclaimed, already on board with the idea if it let her retake her final year. Ron just rolled his eyes in disagreement.
"Six students, all mixed houses? Are they separating us?" Harry asked quietly, glancing to Hermione and Ron then to Arthur.
"I asked that you three be kept together. McGonagall agreed after everything you did for us it was the least she could do. However I don't know the other three students living with you." He answered with a weak smile as he started to pour himself a cup of tea.
"When do we get to move in then?" Hermione asked
"McGonagall said the houses will be ready at the end of August and whoever wants can move in a week early than the official start date." Arthur answered. Hermione seemed to like this answer as she nodded and started thinking about all the classes she missed and all the time she'll have to write more essays and read books.
"Well I guess we'll have to try to enjoy our summer then." Ron sighed, admitting defeat. He seen that he would still be living with his two best friends and possible girlfriend, he'd have to just push through schoolwork after all he destroyed horcruxes last year so how hard was schoolwork anyway? He had forgotten.
Summer passed as the days blurred into weeks and soon it was time to move into the safe houses. Harry had spoken to Neville and Seamus as they had recieved the news around the same time he did and they were hesitant to move for a year cooped up in a house studying with the Ministry having control over whether they left the house or not. 'Better give us a mansion' Neville had said one afternoon that they were spending in the leaky cauldron. Of course everyone agreed, the more space the better but Harry had remembered the magic of the world cup tents and mentioned that what may look small may actually be larger on the inside. Discussion about the safe houses were the top topic across Britain as fellow students got the news, Luna Lovegood was looking forward to getting new roommates as she had spent her summer in a room in the Leaky Cauldron due to her own home being blown to smithereens. Draco Malfoy however was not.
"What if I have to share a room with Potter? It'll be then, I'll throw myself in front of the Hogwarts Express." He complained to his mother. His father hadn't gotten off as lightly as them and had a 20 year sentence in Azkaban as he argued his way down from 30 years. Draco and Narcissa Malfoy were convincing enough to get house arrest and had attended weekly classes of what muggles called 'therapy'. McGonagall apparently had been insisting Draco be a part of the safe house program and spoke to the Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt and they had came to an agreement.
"You will do no such thing. You are lucky to be alive, the safe house program will just be like spending your year in the Slytherin house dorms. This is your chance to change Draco, you've been given another chance to start over. Minerva has the utmost belief in you after seeing you run across the courtyard to give that Potter boy your own wand." Narcissa said calmly, all she wanted was for her son to have a good life and if breaking those nasty pureblood habits his father raised him with then so be it.
"You will never let me live that down...will you?" He moaned, thinking about the memory he knew it was the right thing to do. He gave Potter the wand he needed to get away from the dark lord and to defeat him. However hearing it ten times a day...made him doubt if it was worth it.
"No. You did a good thing dear, and I hope you can perhaps let go of house hatred and start fresh. Make new friends." She replied. Ever since the Battle, seeing her niece's body with her husbands on the stone cold floors of Hogwarts had given her a jumpstart into searching for forgiveness with Andromeda. She couldn't stand the thought of her only son on the floor dead and so she could only imagine what Andromeda must be feeling.
"New friends? Yes I'm sure I'll be having sleepovers with Potter and Weasel. The sooner this whole thing is over the better. I have much better things to do than repeat a final year I didn't even want!" He complained.
Over the summer Draco had been indeed been particularly busy. The first few weeks he spent in hiding, planning the best way to approach this second chance he had been given. He read up on his family tree and researched why they had so much pureblood hatred for muggle borns and blood traitors. He wanted to know why he became the person that bullied innocent Hufflepuff first years and was hated throughout the school. In a way he envied how popular that trio was, how they had friends wherever they went. He just behaved in school like his father had raised him and also because he thought he was better than everyone else...which he argued was mostly true.
Years and years of brainwashing his therapist called it. He didn't mind his therapy sessions. It was a young witch that worked at St Mungos, Dr Shepard, she had talked him through the torture he had went through himself and made a point that if Hermione Granger, a muggle born was tortured by his aunt and he was tortured by Voldemort himself for not locating the trio, what really was the difference in blood if they both were treated the same way and the blood spilt the same way.
He would never forget that night. Her screams haunt him in his nightmares. The girl he taunted in school, bullied and called her racist horrible names was laid on his dining room floor screaming these blood curling screams and her blood leaking into his floorboards. It was the same colour as his. In that moment she was just the smartest girl in his year, blood status didn't matter when he knew exactly how she felt. Of course he only spoke of this once to Dr Shepard and never brought it up again.
"How do you feel about the upcoming year. I got a letter from your headmistress telling me our sessions will end today as you will be moving in the next few weeks. I do think our progress has went well Draco." Dr Shepard said calmly. They sat in her office, with Dr Shepard writing notes at her desk and Draco slumped in a very large armchair across the room.
"I think going through school work again is really what everyone needs right now." He said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. The Ministry were a joke! Yes we all think you might go crazy and you are all still dealing with grief and trauma but here is a 3 different classes and their additional homework that will 100% take up all of your free time. He played in his head, mocking both McGonagall and Shacklebolt.
"I understand a huge element of it is being able to complete your final year but don't you see it as a way to redeem yourself? Prove everyone that you have seen the error to your ways?" She asked softly, most of the sessions were to make Draco realise that he had to look at himself and realise that he was a very toxic person. In most of the things he done there were no excuses and he had to forgive himself if he wanted to be a better person. At the start of course, he just threw insults left right and centre and didn't give a damn about what Dr Shepard had to say but over time she slowly made him really think about it all. And was it all worth it to where he is? On house arrest with his mother, attending silly sessions to talk about himself while Potter gets all the glory?
"No one will believe me so why should I make the effort. Honestly they'll all just want to talk about how evil I am and that its my fault the things that happened to them." He sighed.
"Take your time with them then. They will see you for who you have become if you just be yourself. Make small efforts and do nice things for them when you can. I know its hard because of what happened but they have to see it affected you too." She replied, writing a few quick notes in his file.
"I'm not going to kiss their ass or bend over backwards for them if that's what you're asking." He eyed her cautiously
"I'm not asking you to do that Draco. I'm just asking you to give them and yourself a chance. And bite your tongue." She said quite sternly at the end, he needed to control his temper and most importantly get rid of all the slurs he used in school. He was a man now, a man who wanted a new life and so he would have to leave the old one behind.
He was given the choice the move in a week early, perhaps that would help him get settled away from everyone and then when they moved in and seen it was him, he would be able to cope with the arguments and hatred towards him. And so he packed his things, said his goodbyes to his mother and promised to write letters and left Malfoy Manor.