Of all the things he might have expected after the battle, this was not even close to any of them.
He and his family were almost outcasts in the converted Great Hall. No one was paying any attention to them, too caught up first in the rush of victory, then the quick stumble into despair for all that they had lost.
The Slytherin boy struggled to make sense of what had happened. Now free to admit it, if only to himself, he was deliriously happy the sick bastard was dead. He just hoped it lasted this time.
Keeping his head down, Draco thought about all the events that had brought him, and the Wizarding World, to this desolate place. There shouldn't be any need for celebration, no desperate pleas to whoever might be listening to save them all from the monster. But they had, even many of the Death Eaters had wished none if it had happened.
He saw how his family had helped the Dark Lord to achieve so many of his dreadful deeds and it made him feel sick to his stomach. He didn't hold himself accountable for all his actions, many had been forced upon him, but he knew that many times he had been hateful to others simply because they were allowed to do as they wished and battle against the evil. He had never had the option. He had familial obligations that must be upheld at all costs. Now those costs had to be paid and the price was high.
Nothing cost Draco more than the thought that Ginny might never speak to him again. She knew all his woes, all his fears, all his dastardly actions; and yet she had told him as they ran into battle that she would find him after. He had looked all over the castle for her until his parents forced him into the hall. He saw her family, but couldn't see her through all her brothers gathered around.
Suddenly, he saw her at the crumbling entry, following the people that carried her brother's lifeless form. He wanted to run to her, to hold her, to make love to her and make her forget. Ginny raised her head and looked directly into his eyes and he knew, she was broken, and he was the only one that could fix her.
A/N: This storyline will continue in the next chapters, but not all universes will be the same.
