A/N: Thanks for the information on Snape's death. I went to check the HP lexicon after that! The surprise is not over yet...;)

The atmosphere in the graveyard was cold and gray after the funeral. Harry knelt down to the marble tombstone as he planted down three white lilies on Snape's grave, holding back his tears. He had told Ron and Hermoine to go back to the school castle without him but now he felt someone's presence behind him.

Turning around, he tried to hide the shock in his face, seeing a boy of his age with white blond hair staring at him with cold gray eyes, his mother holding him affectionately with his father by his side.

"I'm surprised you came," Harry finally spoke, breaking the ice.

"He was my friend too, Harry," Lucius Malfoy replied softly. "Even after everything."

Draco Malfoy edged closer to the tombstone, his usually icy eyes now a watery gray. Harry moved a little to the left to make way for him, unsure of what to feel or what to say now. He had never liked the Malfoys or trusted them, but right now, he was too tired to go on hating. He had hated Snape and was going to remember it very painfully, maybe even regret it his whole life.

Draco opened his mouth but no words came out. He looked up to his mother, unable to express his sadness except with his eyes, and his mother wrapped her arms around his head as he let out a muffled cry.

"He protected my son," Narcissa said in a trembling voice. "I – I wouldn't have known what to do…"

"He was a good man," Harry felt he had to add.

Narcissa nodded.

"I was going to die that night," Draco said blankly, speaking for the first time, his eyes fixed on the marble slab.

"What night?" Harry asked, staring at the boy.

"The night I led the death eaters into the castle…," he said, pausing as though to imagine and relive that night again.

"The night Dumbledore was killed," Harry said, trying to suppress the anger that shot up out of nowhere.

"I would have died," Draco croaked.

Harry knew why but could not utter a word because his insides had gone numb. The mention of Dumbledore by Draco froze him and he was afraid he would explode if he spoke now.

"I couldn't do it," Draco went on. "I tried to summon as much hate as I could, but I couldn't. I was too weak."

"Killing isn't as easy as the innocent believes," Harry simply said when he had found his voice.

Taken aback by Dumbledore's quote, Harry just stared coldly at him.

"I was there too, and I saw everything," Harry said rather icily. "Snape did it, because Dumbledore told him to."

Draco just stared at him, his mouth agape.

Harry went on. "Dumbledore wanted Snape to finish him off, not you. He didn't want you to be a killer. You'd have turned into a killer if you had done it…"

Draco's grey eyes were brimming with tears now and so were Narcissa's.

"After everything I did to kill him, why?" he said, his eyes wide with confusion.

"Everyone deserves a second chance," Harry stated, but his mind flickered to remembering how Snape was given a second chance to make things right and how Dumbledore had been given a chance to be good. "He gave you a second chance because he was a good man. And a good wizard. The elder wand should have belonged to him, which is why I have returned it to him. Gave up my hold over it… I don't want it…"

"You gave up the elder wand?" Lucius said sharply.

Harry took the broken elder wand out of his pocket. "No, it's here, but I reckoned I should return it to him. It should have been his."

"I don't think so, Harry," Lucius said coldly.

Harry stared at him, shocked, and saw the greedy gleam in his gray eyes. He moved further to the left where there was free space to make a run for it but Lucius stepped into his way quickly.

"Give the wand, Harry," he said menacingly.

Harry spun around to the right side, ready to break into a run but Malfoy lifted his wand and pointed it at a tall white oak tree, which fell right before Harry, blocking his way. Harry whipped around to face Draco, an utterly bewildered expression on his face, his heart jumping spastically. Draco's face was ashen and pale, his grey eyes still tearful.

"Sorry, Potter," he said in a strangled voice.

Harry was knocked off his feet by an invisible force, followed by a kick in his stomach by Lucius Malfoy. He could not tell what was exactly happening but he could hear Narcissa screaming, Lucius' gruff voice and Lucius' hands searching him for the wand. He groaned in pain as another spell rocked him to the side.

"WHERE IS THE OTHER HALF?" Lucius roared.

"Lucius, don't –," Narcissa cried but Lucius cut her off.

"Whose side are you on?" he glowered at her.

"Harry saved our lives, Lucius!" she retorted indignantly.

"Don't argue with me, Snape would have wanted this!" Lucius yelled, furious with her for arguing back.

He pulled Narcissa's forearm roughly but she wrenched her arm away from him, giving him a scorching look.

"Wanted what? This for Lily's son?" she said venomously.

"Draco, drag him," Lucius said calmly to his son, before turning back to his wife. "You have no idea, do you? I'll show you something, just stop being mad at me. This is what Snape wants."

Draco did not argue with his father and dragged Harry with them, trudging slowly behind his parents who were deliberately ignoring each other. As soon as they were out of Hogwarts' boundary, they apparated together. Feeling sick, Harry thought he was about to throw up as Lucius Malfoy gripped his arm tightly like a pincer's claw.