Prelude

"Lucius Malfoy, you are hereby sentenced to nineteen years in Azkaban prison for usage of the Unforgiveable Curses, false claims of allegiance to the Ministry, and conspiring with the Dark Lord," Kingsley Shacklebolt declared as the sound of a pounding gavel resonated off of the marble floor and walls of the circular room. A very pale-looking Lucius Malfoy was quickly put in chains and was escorted out of the courtroom by two Aurors. Narcissa Malfoy helplessly watched with a heavy heart and teary eyes as her husband was taken away to Azkaban. However sad she was about her husband, at least she and her son, Draco Malfoy, had been spared from going to the Wizard Prison.

"It's going to be okay Mum," Draco said as he pulled his mother into a reassuring embrace.

Narcissa said nothing in reply to her son, but could only nod in agreement. As the two broke form their embrace, Draco cast a glance over to where the man that had spared his mother and himself from prison was sitting. Harry Potter looked up from his papers that he had been gathering in his hands and solemnly nodded to the blonde that was standing at the opposite side of the room. Draco nodded in reply and then gestured for his mother to follow him out of the room.

Draco had been living with his mother for about a year for a number of reasons. One reason that he was still living at home was that Draco felt sorry for his mother and felt that he couldn't leave her alone in her broken state. Noble as this cause was, he was mainly still living at Malfoy Manor because he couldn't not get a job due to the events of the recent past. In a way, both mother and son were highly dependent on one another: Narcissa for comfort, Draco for domestic needs.

Since Lucius' incarceration, the two remaining Malfoys had been often visited by many of Draco's friends from school and by old friends of Narcissa. All of their visitors had come offering their condolences for what had happened to the head of the Malfoy family. On one such occasion, Daphne Greengrass, who was a friend that Draco had met through his old girlfriend, Pansy Parkinson, had appeared on the Malfoy's doorstep.

"Hello Daphne, it's good to see you again," Draco had greeted his former classmate.

"And even better to see you. Thank heavens that you weren't thrown in Azkaban as well," Daphne replied with relief. "Draco, I hope you don't mind, but I've had to drag my younger sister along with me. She's currently in her seventh year at Hogwarts. Naturally, she's a Slytherin," she added as she gestured to the brunette haired girl that was a few feet down the front walk whom was admiring one of the members of the Malfoy's prized albino peacocks that Draco recognized as Percificlis. "Astoria! Please say hello to Mr. Malfoy!" Daphne shouted down the walk. Astoria's attention was diverted from observing Percificlis and looked up to where her older sister and the man she had said was Mr. Malfoy were standing on the front steps.

"I'm coming," Astoria said as she started walking towards the two. She lightly ascended the steps and extended her hand for Draco to shake. "It's nice to meet you Mr. Malfoy," Astoria said politely. Draco took her hand in his and shook gingerly.

"No need for formalities. Please, call me Draco," he replied. Astoria blushed slightly as Draco shook her hand. She hoped that no one had noticed. "Would you two like to come inside?" he asked.

"Oh there's really no need to, I just came to drop off this pie. We don't mean to be a burden," Daphne said as she held up the pecan pie that she had been balancing on her left hand the entire time.

"It's no trouble at all. And besides, I'm sure my mother would love it if you came in for a spell," Draco reassured them.

"Alright then. If you would take this pie off my hands Draco that would be lovely," Daphne said. Draco nodded and took the pie off of her left hand. He stepped aside so that the two women could enter the doorway.

As it turned out, Narcissa wasn't the only one that had enjoyed the visit from the Greengrass sisters. Since that day, Draco and Astoria had grown very close. Their bond became so strong that eventually the two were wed. In 2006, their first son, named Scorpius Hyperion, was born.