A/N: Anything that is recognizable does not belong to me.
"Draco," Narcissa Malfoy started, "do you really think-"
Draco sighed. It had been the same conversation between him and his mother ever since he had started applying to be a Healer at St. Mungo's. Five times he'd gone into an interview, with five different people, and five times he had been turned down. Draco was hoping this would be his lucky sixth.
"Look, Mum, I want to prove to them that I've changed," Draco said gently. "And you want to prove to the wizarding society that we've changed, right? What better way to do that than to become a Healer? I'll be helping more people that I've harmed. This is the only way I think I can repay them." Draco reached across the table to grasp his mother's thin hand in his own, and she smiled at him.
Narcissa knew what her son wanted to do, and understood why he wanted to do it; she just didn't know why she thought being interviewed by countless people would change anything.
Draco glanced at his watch and gently extracted his hands from his mother's. "I've got to go if I don't want to be late," he said, standing and walking around the table to kiss his mother's cheek. At the last minute she wrapped her arms around him in a surprisingly firm grip.
"You'll make it this time, darling. I can feel it," she whispered. Draco allowed himself to sink against his mother for a minute before pulling away and smiling at her. She returned his smile, a new light in her pale blue eyes. He hadn't seen a light like that in a long time, and it warmed him to see life in them again.
Draco walked down the front walkway and then Apparated outside the looming gates of Malfoy Manor. He appeared just outside St. Mungo's. After doing to customary routine to the dummy in the window, Draco stepped through and walked up to the receptionist's desk.
Before he could open his mouth, the young blonde witch said, "I know. Sit. I'll call your interviewer."
Draco just nodded and sat next to a witch whose feet had been replaced with beets. Her eyes widened when she saw him, and she stood and did her best to move, only to topple over again. She shot an accusing look at Draco, who cast his eyes downward, no smirk ghosting his lips. A Healer came and helped the witch stand and they proceeded down a hallway and around a corner.
Draco sat a for a few minutes longer, avoiding eye contact with everyone.
"Mr. Malfoy?" a soft voice said. He glanced up and his eyes met the most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen. He swallowed nervously and stood, looking at the young Healer.
She couldn't have been more than twenty-two, with raven curls that fell to her waist, pulled back in a low pony tail. Her vibrant emerald eyes were framed with thick lashes which contrasted with her fair skin. She had a small nose and full lips. he smiled at him when he approached her.
"If you would follow me," she said, leading him away from the reception area. "I'll be your interviewer today." They reached a brightly lit office and the Healer situated herself behind her large mahogany desk with a name plaque which proclaimed her to be Carrie Adams and then motioned for him to sit across from her. "Before I start asking you the basic questions, i just want to say that I won't judge you on your past," she said simply, staring directly at him.
Draco let out a shaky breath. "Thank you," he said, a small smile crossing his lips. She grinned back at him before shifting into professional mode.
She rattled off question after question. They ranged from asking what were in certain potions, to properties of ingredients and the upsides and downsides of them, and what ingredients would counteract others.
She had him make a simple sleeping potion, and then asked him to make the antidote to a poison. She tested him in basic Transfiguration and Charms.
Draco had to admit that this interview was rather lengthy, much longer than the others he had had. By the end, he was exhausted, but confident he had passed. He flopped back into the chair as Carrie Vanished the remaining vials, cauldrons, and utensils. She laughed when she saw his tired face.
"I understand this was a much more thorough interview than your previous ones," she said, sitting across from him once more. "Tea?"
Draco nodded as he said, "Yes, I was quite surprised. The only thing I did in the other interviews were answer a bunch of rubbish questions that didn't test me on anything." He leaned forward to accept the cup of tea she was handing him, and felt an unfamiliar tingle run through him when their skin contacted.
She nodded as she poured herself a cup of tea. "Yes, I heard how your other interviews were conducted. I was quite furious with your interviewers, to be honest. That's why when I heard you had sent in another application, I insisted on being your interviewer."
"Well, I appreciate the gesture," Draco said. He finished his tea and stood, and Carrie stood too.
"Well, it's been a pleasure, Mr. Malfoy," she said.
"Thank you, Ms. Adams," Draco said.
A funny look crossed her face. "Who?"
Draco glanced at the desk. When the witch noticed his gaze, she laughed.
"Oh, you thought-Oh, no. This isn't my office," she explained. "I'm Astoria Greengrass."
"Oh, Daphne's sister," Draco said.
"Yes," Astoria said with a tight smile.
"I'm sorry I didn't recognize you," Draco said, looking sheepish. The Greengrass family was as pure as his family, so he had grown up around them.
"It's okay," Astoria said. "I'm used to it."
Draco was unsure how to answer, so he just nodded and started to leave. He turned suddenly and said, "Do you want to go out with me sometime?"
Astoria looked taken aback but smiled. "I'd love to," she said. "Owl me sometime." She scrawled her address on a spare bit of parchment and handed it to him.
Draco walked out of the office smiling genuinely for the first time in what felt like forever. He had been given the chance he had been longing for.