So I have 21 bits of coursework and 7 2 hour exams which I haven't started revising for all due in just over a month? I ask myself what I'm doing with my life but I fell down a drarry hole and fanfic was my only chance of escape.
In this chapter Draco is trying to make amends for his past behaviour and accepting that hes becoming a new man.

Draco took a deep breath and tried to collect himself. He had Apparated as close to the burrow as he dared, ending up at the bottom of a gently sloping hill atop which sat the miss-matched building. As he started up the incline he took the structure and its surrounding in: a large garden with pig pens, vegetable patches and chicken coops surrounded a house which seemed to impossibly defy gravity; it was implausibly tall and some rooms barely seemed attached to the main structure yet there it stood bold as brass and confident in its ability to shelter those within. It was such a juxtaposition to how Draco had grown up but just by looking at he could see that this was much more of a home than he had known and it held many memories both happy and sad.

He stopped just shy of the wooden stable door and tried to collect himself. He straightened his collar and smoothed his hair then tugged nervously at his cuffs (a habit he acquired from being summoned to his father's study). While he stood finding the courage to knock he heard shouts of laughter coming from what appeared to be the kitchen, maybe if he only knocked quietly they wouldn't hear and he could kid himself he had tried and just go home, but that wouldn't help anyone.

Before he could think about it further and risk talking himself out of it he rapped on the door as loudly as he could. The sound of chatter died away and a figure appeared on the other side of the glass. He belatedly thought that he didn't know what he would do if Mr Weasley answered the door, how could he look him in the eye after his father had made work an unnecessary struggle them when all he was doing was trying to support his family.

The door swung open and the person on the side looked at him in part confusion and part disbelief. Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister stood in front of him with flushed cheeks, an apron round her waist and what appeared to be flour in her hair. She stared at him for a long quiet moment deciding if Draco Malfoy really was standing on her doorstep or if George and put some potion he was working on in her tea. Deciding him to be real she turned and shouted in the direction of the kitchen, "RON!" before heading into the house and up the stairs. Draco had expected her to know that he was here to see Harry but then again he supposed Harry wasn't the only one which deserved an apology.

Ron entered the hallway seeking out his sister and the smile which had been playing on his face dropped the moment he saw Draco. Right at his shoulders came Harry and Hermione both displaying similar signs of disbelief when they realised who the unexpected visitor was. Hermione was the first to compose herself,
"Come in." She said, moving to close the door behind him but still ensuring there was plenty of room between them, and why shouldn't she, he had possibly treated her the worst out of the three. She turned her back on him then pushed the two boys in front of her in to a side room – it was clear Draco should follow.

They were in some kind of drawing room that all though cosy didn't look as if it was used very often as it was homed to various discarded items. Harry placed a dining chair opposite the sofa where the golden trio arranged themselves with Harry in the middle. Draco took the seat in front of them not quite sure where to start. He suddenly had the odd idea that if he were to go sit next to Ron they would appear as a perfect gradient from Hermione's cocoa skin, to Harrys copper, Ron's peach coloured freckles and finally Draco's marble like skin. He shook his head slightly and finally managed to look at the three best friends.

Hermione had never been the slightest of girls but now she had visibly lost weight and it was evidently not in a healthy manner, she looked gaunt, a former shadow of herself. Ron who had never been darkly coloured now looked almost grey under his freckles, his eyes were gaunt and sunk in to his face. Harry looked the most ordinary apart from the patches of stubble where the razor had missed but maybe he had always looked worn and dishevelled so it didn't seem odd now. They had been laughing only moments early but no amount of joy could erase how the past few years had changed them, they had all lost people they cared about and it would always be forever present on their faces.

Draco found himself staring at a stray splat of cake batter which clung to Harry's cheek, clearly Ron was watching him the closest as he followed his gaze to Harry's face.
"Mate." He said as he used the flat of his hand to smear the mess off his friend's cheek.
"Thanks." Harry replied then looked at Draco as if he was about to say something but closed his mouth again. Draco looked at them all for a sign that one of them would speak but none of them seemed about to offer anything. The idea to come and apologise in person had seemed like a good one in his head but now that he was actually laying action to it he had no idea where to start or what to say. How could he even begin to make up for all the things he had done and trouble he had caused.

He opened his mouth but his nerves bottled and left him. He stood up jerkily his arms gesturing awkwardly as if they could convey his feelings.
"I'm sorry I shouldn't have come here, it was a bad idea."
He turned to leave the room but a hand on his arm was preventing him. Ron loomed half a head taller than him and pushed Draco down in to his seat before resuming his own.
"You came here for a reason Malfoy and you've already wasted enough of our time so why don't you say whatever it was you came here to say and let us get on with the rest of our day."
He pulled his cuffs down again and wrung his hands in his lap, eyes fixed on the faded rug.
"I'm sorry." He croaked barely louder than a whisper.
"Louder!" Ron demanded.
"I'm sorry." He could barely keep his voice from cracking.
"YOU'RE SORRY!" Ron bellowed and this time it was him being held by a restraining hand.
"Ron please." Hermione said gently. She took his large pale hand in her small dark one and he seemed to relax minutely.

Draco inhaled deeply and suddenly it all came gushing out of him.
"I know a stupid apology isn't ever going to make up for even a fraction of the things I've done but I have to start somewhere right? I know I was the most terrible shitty person ever and as much as I want to I can't take that back. Hermione I was vicious and horrible to you every day. I was racist and bigoted and no one deserves to be treated like that. You're one of the most intelligent and competent people that I've ever met, there's no denying. Maybe I was just jealous because someone who had just been introduced to the wizarding world was better than I was and it had been all I'd ever known. I was stupid to think that I was ever better than you just because my parents were wizards but I know now that blood has nothing to do with a person's worth. I know it's too little too late but I'm sorry for every time I called you a mudblood, for every time I made you feel small or hexed you. And I'm sorry for what my family's done to you." Hermione's hand moved instinctively to pull down her sleeve ensuring that the letters carved in to her arm weren't visible. Her chin was stubborn but her eyes were round and wet at the painful memories.

"And Ron. I know this probably falls on deaf ears but I'm sorry for every time I taunted you and your family. I was stupid to think money could buy anyone happiness. I'm sorry for every time I called you a blood traitor when really it was me that was being the coward and doing the wrong thing, I-"
Ron rose suddenly from his seat having heard enough, Hermione grabbed his arm worried that he would hit the blonde man but she needed have fretted as he simply stormed from the room without a backwards glance. Hermione went to follow him and stopped at the door, she looked at Harry questioningly, wondering if he was coming too but he gave her a small tight smile and she nodded in understanding, closing the door behind her and leaving the once enemies alone.

Harry used one hand to lift his glasses up and the other to scrub at his weary eyes.
"And me Malfoy?" It sounded like Harry wanted to provoke him but there was no heat in his voice, maybe he didn't have the energy. Suddenly being alone with the boy whose life he had set out to ruin Draco found he was once more lost for words. He looked up at Harrys open honest face and to his shame found his eyes round and full of tears. He rubbed furiously at them with his sleeve but Harry didn't look away nor did his expression change.

"What's the point? Nothing I say is going to change anything. No matter how many times I apologise I still did and said all those things. That was me and it's not like I'm the only one who has to live with what I've done. Like I said it was stupid to come."
Harry looked at the fellow pure blood pityingly. "You know a wise wizard once told me that 'we've all got both light and dark inside us' and that it's the part we choose to act on that defines who we are." Draco flinched but Harry continued. "He also told me that the world wasn't just good people and death eaters and that sometimes people do stupid bad things because they're scared and don't know any better. I'm not excusing what you did and I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully forgive, but I'm willing to try, because I know deep down that you're not evil, and I can tell this is you trying to act on that light. And it's not the first time, you couldn't kill Dumbledore because you're not a killer and you tried not to expose me and Hermione when we were captured by the Snatchers and that counts for something. You're trying at least trying to make up from your past mistakes. You were young and naive and didn't know any better when it started and your parents weren't exactly the best guides."

Draco sighed he didn't deserve Harry's sympathy no matter how much he craved it.
"I can't use my upbringing as an excuse, you had a decidedly worse start than me and you didn't make it your personal mission to fuck everyone over."
Harry was surprised to hear Draco swear, he always appeared so put together and clean and now that man was visibly crumbling before Harry and it struck him as odd to see such hard, sharp features capable of tears. If Ron or Hermione were crying he'd have hugged them but he didn't think he was quite up to that with Malfoy yet so he offered him words instead.
"What's done is done and if you keep dwelling on the past then you're never going to allow yourself to stop being Malfoy and become Draco. Stop using words to try and make up for what you've done, just change your actions."
Draco smiled at him ruefully. "When did you become so wise?"
Harry smirked slightly and Draco's stomach twisted. "Somewhere between being the youngest seeker in 100 years and defeating Voldemort." He joked, "Though if I'm honest I think it's just an act most of the time. Wait here will you I've got something of yours." The pale man looked at him questioningly but he didn't offer an answer.

Harry was gone for several long minutes and Draco suspected he had been waylaid by his friends. Eventually Harry returned offering a short dark stick to his fellow pureblood. Draco looked at his former wand and shook his head. Harry had won ownership of it the same night that he had been captured by the Snatchers and had had it ever since. Draco had gotten a new wand fairly soon after and it had instantly felt more a part of him than the former. He was a different person to when he had bought his first so it seemed fitting that he should now have a new wand.
"It's hawthorn and unicorn hair, I guess the wood was always fitting as its often found with conflicted wizards or those going through turmoil, the cores kind of ironic though, unicorn hair is mean to be the most loyal and hardest to turn to the dark arts but I guess neither's true for this wand."
"You weren't a real death eater Draco, not really."
Draco visibly flinched, his hand moving subconsciously to the tattoo on his left arm even though it was covered by his long shirt. Harry looked at him confused. "What did I, I'm sorry I didn't mean-"
"No, it's just I think that's the first time you've called me Draco."
Harry smiled wanly, "Well let's hope it's the first of many. And your new wand?"
"Fir, another irony because it's meant to be bad with changeable wizards and dragon heart string which is the easiest to turn to the dark arts, it's like my wands are mocking me right?"

Harry huffed a soft laugh and tried to hand Draco his old wand once more which he accepted this time if somewhat gingerly.
"I know it sounds stupid, but this wand it represents who I used to be. What I used to be and all the bad stupid mistakes I made. Getting my new wand was almost like a rebirth of sorts."
Harry nodded gently as if he understood what Draco was trying to explain. He took the wand between his two hands, his intentions clear and looked at Harry for some kind of reassurance or conformation. The other man didn't offer any further words but the look in his eyes was encouraging.

Draco snapped the wand.

Several blue sparks leapt from the wood as it broke in to two pieces one landed on Draco's shirt sleeve and soon his whole arm was ablaze.
"Shit fuck fuck!" He swore dancing around wildly but Harry had leant across and slapped it out before it had done any real damage and couldn't help but laugh.
"Are you ok?" He asked with genuine concern in his voice. Draco nodded silently and looked at the signed material of his shirt which now exposed the dark mark. Harry followed his gaze and a frown creased his brow, he grabbed Draco's wrist and pulled his arm straight so he could see it better. The tattoo had faded from black to red now that Voldemort was finally dead and it was covered in fine scratches and scabs.
"I-, sometimes I imagine that I can still feel it burning, like he's about to come back again. I know it's in my head but it feels so real sometimes."
Harry released Draco's wrist and brought his hand up to his forehead, pushing his unruly curls out of the way and placing his palm on the famous white scar that etched his brow.
"Me too." His voice was gentle but hoarse.

Draco suddenly felt suffocated and knew he could stay no longer. He pushed his chair away from the other man who stood to meet him.
"I should leave now, no doubt Ron is fuming silently upstairs, I'm pretty certain I'dd out stayed my welcome before I'd even arrived."
"He can hold a grudge with the best of them." Harry said neither a comfort nor dig, "I appreciate what you did today; it couldn't've been easy coming here and must've taken a lot of courage."
Draco couldn't think of what else to say and found he couldn't look the man in the eye any longer, he waved awkwardly and walked away from the burrow until he could Apparate safely. When he returned home he still felt a burning sensation on his skin, but it wasn't the phantom itch of his dark mark or burns left where the flames had licked his flesh, but the skin around his wrist where it had been held by Harry James Potter.