Draco Malfoy, the man who turned against his father and family's beliefs and joined the Light side in the war, slowly approached the entrance of the most famous cemetery in the entire wizarding world. Years had gone by aging the good-looking boy into a handsome and mature gentleman in his mid-thirties. His silver blonde hair blew across his eyes in the wind as he stopped outside the gold gates; he waited for the teenage boy who had been dragging his feet behind him. The boy came up to his tall father's shoulders and had his blonde straight hair but in replace of the misty grey eyes his father's family was famous for, he had the warmest brown almond-shaped eyes with streaks of gold glittered in them. But instead of happiness found in these eyes, there was sorrow and clear hesitation, he never liked coming here for he saw what it did to his father but also deep down what it did to him. This boy was Benjamin Malfoy, Draco Malfoy's eldest son, born in the beginning of the war and aged five when the vicious and brutal final battle commenced, he had seen things that a boy of such innocence should never have seen.
The hesitation was pushed away as he followed his father's quick strides through the quiet cemetery, going to the graves they went to every year on this very day, the grave that gave Draco Malfoy such pain yet such happy and joyous memories. Benjamin never wanted to come yet when he did he always felt such peace, like an empty piece of him and been filled. He never voiced these thoughts to his father.
They slowly made their way through the graves recognising names that wouldn't be there if the world was fair, but alas their world wasn't fair, it was filled with expectations and assumptions that should never have been believed.
Each grave they past had a tragic story, a story of loss and pain, stories that people mourned, stories that were remembered when loved ones came to visit the ones who had passed too early. None of that was fair.
Neville Longbottom
1984-2007
Loving Son, Grandson and Beloved
Brave even in death
Neville had indeed been brave in death, fighting Bellatrix Lestrange with all the strength he had until finally cracking under the pressure and murdering her with his own fists, so much anger and hate at the thought of what she had done to his parents. He was later killed by Lucius Malfoy's wand with the dreaded words of the killing curse. Neville left behind Luna Lovegod, never knowing she was pregnant with his child and never given the chance to marry her and have the life he always deserved.
Blaise Zabini
1983-2007
Loyal Protector till his last breath
Draco's own best friend who had been there throughout his whole childhood through thick and thin, it was together they went to Dumbledore to change sides, it was together that they turned spy for the light-side, it was together they fought side by side. But it was Blaise alone who had stood in front of his heavily pregnant fiancé Ginny Weasley when the killing curse was sent to her, it was him who took the blow and died to save the one he loved. Ginny Weasley never got over it, despite it being 10 years since his death she still refused to move on, in her head she had married Blaise and would remain married to him for the rest of her days, telling her daughter that her father was a brave fighter who would have loved her more than anything. Their daughter kept Ginny going.
So many familiar names were engraved in marble stones, Molly Weasley, George Weasley, Charlie Weasley, Remus Lupin, Seamus Finnegan, Moody, the Patil twins, Oliver Wood, Theodore Nott. So many names and so much sorrow left in their places.
But that wasn't the worst of it, despite Voldemort's defeat on that fateful last battle; the wizarding world saw the deaths of their most worthy saviours. Dumbledore killed by Voldemort himself after misjudging Voldemort's fear of him. Or Snape, the man who had dedicated his adult life to helping the Order defeat the Dark Lord, found dead days before the final battle even commenced; it was never clarified how he actually died.
And then Draco and Benjamin Malfoy stopped for a minute, they had come to a statue of Ron Weasley, one third of the Golden Trio, tortured to insanity by Voldemort and died several years later in St Mungos, he relived the battles in his nightmares, never truly waking.
They moved on to a gold statue with emerald eyes, the man-who-died-to-save-the-wizarding-world. Nobody ever thought that the great Harry Potter would ever die in the final battle, most people thought he would defeat Voldemort and everyone would be happy. They were right in their assumption that he would defeat the Dark Lord, but they were badly mistaken that he would survive to tell the tale. In a horrible misfortune, Harry's scar was the last horcrux and to kill Voldemort he had to kill himself. All that was left of Harry Potter was his glasses.
But none of the graves that they had seen during their annual visit was the one they came for. A beautiful blossom tree is where the duo stopped. It was this particular grave that brought deep sadness to Draco Malfoy's heart. A part of him had died the night she was killed. The one woman who ever took the time to know him and melt away the ice around his heart, the one woman who would ever consider having children with him or committing to spend the rest of her life with him. Unfortunately her life didn't last as long as he wanted.
Draco bent down to wipe away a fallen leaf that had fallen onto the silver plaque that showed his loves name. It was meant to be his name on that plaque not hers; she was the one who had meant to bring up their children, the one who was given a chance at life. Draco began to cry as his loss swept over him again, the realisation that she would never come home with him again. She was not supposed to be the one who died at the hands of his father, he was.
Benjamin Malfoy watched his father overcome with grief and for the first time in the past 10 years he had been visiting this spot he allowed the tears to drop too. He knew he should be strong for his father but it was too difficult seeing his mother's name glaring up at him from a plaque.
Draco Malfoy gathered his son in a hug and looked down into his eyes only to see the eyes of his beloved staring back at him with such vulnerability that the piece that had died all those years ago was reborn. Draco Malfoy's purpose in life was to protect his son and his 11 year older daughter from the pain he himself and their mother went through. They would no longer suffer alone.
And so they left the cemetery that day, for the first time in ten years with high spirits, looking forward to a happier life. Leaving behind the blossom tree, trusting it to guard the grave of their own loved one and the plaque that stated:
Hermione Jane Granger
1983-2007
A woman of bravery, loyalty, knowledge and unconditional love
Wife of Draco Malfoy
And Mother of Benjamin Malfoy and Hope Malfoy
She will forever be remembered in their thoughts
As Draco and Benjamin made their way out of the golden gates and back to reality, a beautiful angel smiled down at them with knowledgeable eyes. Her family would be alright.
A/N: Sorry if it wasn't very good.