Harry Potter
After the War
Chapter 6
"Kreacher!" Harry yelled for the elf. A loud crack sounded and Kreacher appeared, rubbing his eyes and yawning.
"Master, Kreacher is at your service." Harry pointed out of the window. Kreacher moved over and peered over the sill. "The Malfoy boy! He's back!"
"Back?" Harry asked him, "What d'you mean 'back'? He's been here before?" Kreacher wrung his hands nervously and nodded. "Kreacher?" Harry looked back to where Draco Malfoy was standing. "When was the last time he was here?"
Kreacher shuffled on his feet, "Yesterday, sir. He's been here every night for two weeks, master."
Harry pulled out his wand, "I want you to wake up Winky. Have her stay in Ginny's room. If I send up red sparks, I want you to take them both and disapparate back to the Burrow. Do you understand?" Kreacher nodded and scurried off to wake Winky. Harry took off up the stairs to his room. He pushed the door open labelled 'Sirius' and opened his trunk. Mr. Weasley had had their entire luggage sent ahead of them. Buried underneath a mound of T-shirts, Harry found what he was looking for. Tightening the invisibility cloak around him, Harry took a deep breath and disapparated. He landed on the top step outside of Grimmauld Place. The sick feeling Harry used to get from disapparating had gone, leaving him feeling fine after travelling. He watched Malfoy for a moment, deciphering his next move. Harry moved from the steps to get closer. He stood a foot from Draco, checking for his wand. There was no sign of it. Then Harry remembered he still had it locked away in the back of his trunk. He grinned to himself. "What do you want, Malfoy?"
Draco started backwards, "Potter? Where are you?" Harry took of the cloak.
"Again, what do you want?" Harry asked him, taking a step forward, "You don't have your wand so you can't be here to fight, so what?" Draco looked at the ground and mumbled something. "Sorry? You're going to have to speak up."
Malfoy stared at him, "I need your help." he said.
Harry stepped back in surprise, "What?"
"I need your help!" Draco yelled at him. A curtain flickered in one of the nearby houses. "Look," Draco said, lowering his voice, "I know we haven't ever seen eye to eye and I'm sorry about everything that's happened because of me but, I also know what my mother did for you that night in the forest. And it's for her I need your help." Harry thought for a moment. This Draco was different from the one he'd been at school with. He was thinner and seemed tortured. Plus, the Draco Harry knew would never ask for help. Malfoy raised his hand to brush the now shaggy blonde hair out of his eyes and Harry saw it. He reached out and grabbed his wrist.
"What happened to you?" Draco winced and pulled his arm back under his cloak.
"Forget it. If you're not going to help, Potter, I'll leave." He turned to disappear.
"Wait," Harry sighed, "If you promise you won't try anything; I suppose I can at least hear you out." He turned and started walking towards the house. "Are you coming then?" He heard hurried footsteps behind him as Draco caught up to him.
A few minutes later, Harry was watching Draco from across the kitchen table. The blonde boy shuffled nervously, looking around the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.
"Kreacher?" The house elf appeared a few steps away from Harry. Upon seeing Draco Malfoy, Kreacher picked up his favourite frying pan and went to hit him. Draco leapt up, cowering in the corner as the elf approached. "Kreacher! Please stop trying to hit people?"
Kreacher paused in his tracks, frying pan raised to strike, "Kreacher does not mean to question Master, but it is the Malfoy boy! Maybe just a little bang, sir?"
Harry laughed, "Maybe later, Kreacher." Kreacher smiled and bowed to Harry. "Could you do me a favour? Could you ask Winky to come down? We have an injury we need her to treat." Kreacher bowed again at Harry, scowled at Malfoy and disapparated.
Draco sat back down in his chair, "Why are you being like this?"
"What do you mean?"
Malfoy shrugged, "I mean civilised. I threatened to kill you less than two months ago and know I'm sitting in your kitchen? I don't get you, Potter."
"Likewise," Harry told him, "I know you're a foul git, Malfoy, but I don't believe you really wanted to be a Death Eater. I'm guessing that's why you tried to cut off your mark." Harry nodded to the bleeding patch on Draco's robes. Winky and Kreacher appeared a second later, carrying what looked like a vast medical kit.
"Master asked for Winky, sir?" Winky turned and screamed. "Death Eater! Death Eater!"
"Winky! Shhh!" Harry told her, but he knew it was too late. He could hear footsteps on the stairs and Ginny appeared a moment later in the doorway, brandishing her wand.
She spotted Malfoy, "Stupefy!" Draco crumbled to the floor, "Harry? What the hell is he doing here?"
Harry pouted at her and crossed his arms, "Ginny!" he whined, "You know how much I wanted to be the one that did that!"
"Harry!" her face matched her hair and you could practically see steam pouring from her ears.
"Alright!" Harry laughed, "Sorry."
"Sorry? Sorry! I wake up to Winky screaming 'Death Eater' and find Draco Malfoy, follower of Voldemort, in our kitchen!" she yelled, "I think I deserve a little more than sorry. Explain." She ordered.
"Fine. But I think he should be conscious first." At Ginny's warning look he added, "I promise he won't try and kill us if that's what you're thinking. Plus, I still have his wand." Harry removed Winky's grip from his legs and walked over to the crumpled form of Draco. "Kreacher, is our agreement still on?"
Kreacher nodded, "First sign of trouble, sir."
"Good." Harry pulled out his wand and waved it over Malfoy's face, "Enervate."
Malfoy opened his eyes and struggled out of his chair, falling over in the process and scrambling into the corner again, "For Merlin's sake! Why did you do that?"
Ginny looked murderous, she raised her wand again. "Malfoy, it's probably not a good idea to annoy my girlfriend." Harry told him, "And Ginny? Can we at least hear him out before you kill him?" Ginny huffed and sat in the chair next to Harry's.
Malfoy stood up and straightened his cloak, "To be fair, I can't say I didn't deserve that." Harry and Ginny looked at each other in surprise.
"Is he sick?" Ginny asked.
"Imperius curse, I reckon." Harry replied.
Draco cleared his throat, "Excuse me, but I did not come here to be insulted. Look, I hate what I became. I was too caught up in power and I was in way over my head. The Dark Lord was the most evil person that I ever knew and I don't want to be anything like him at all. I've come here for help and I'm trying to be nice. Do you think we can get back to the point?"
They paused for a moment, "I agree, must be the Imperius curse," Ginny said.
"Forget it!" Draco stood and headed for the door.
"Malfoy, wait!" Ginny called after him. He sighed and turned, waiting for Ginny to say something else, "You may be a complete arse," he reached for the door handle, "but I believe you don't want to be a bad guy," he stopped again, "Harry told me that you could have killed him that night in the Room of Requirement, and you didn't" she looked at Harry, "and I think you deserve a second chance." Harry nodded in agreement.
"Sit down, Draco." Harry said, "Kreacher could you make some tea and Winky? Could you take a look at Mr. Malfoy's arm? He had a slight accident with a knife." Draco slumped back into the chair as Kreacher hurried towards the kettle. Winky approached him cautiously and hopped onto the table, placing her first aid kit down gently. Draco extended his arm and pushed back his sleeve, grimacing. Ginny gasped at the sight of the bloody gash carved into Draco's flesh.
As Winky inspected it, Draco said something Harry had never thought he would hear, "Thank you, Weasley." Ginny nodded and pulled her dressing gown around her tighter.
"So, what do you need my help with?"
Malfoy sighed, "After the battle, my father went into hiding. He's not very smart so he hid in the basement of our manor. But because my mother was never marked as a Death Eater, the ministry promised she wouldn't be sent to Azkaban. They came for me and my father but when they found me, they decided I should be placed under house arrest somewhere close to the ministry instead until they decided what to do with me. I've been staying in a room in the leaky cauldron; I shouldn't actually be here. My father on the over hand, was sent straight to Azkaban and is awaiting trial." Malfoy looked up, "Understand this, Potter. I have no sympathy for my father. He deserves what he gets. I may have some prejudice but I never wanted to become one of His pawns." Harry thought back to his sixth year, when he'd found Malfoy crying in the boys bathroom. He nodded his belief that this story was true. Draco winced as Winky dabbed his arm with an ointment, "So when the ministry found my father, they also went back on their promise and arrested my mother. 'Under grounds of using three of the unforgivable curses for the benefit of Dark magic' they told her." Kreacher returned from the stove with three cups of tea. Harry quickly tapped his mug with his wand, the liquid cooling instantly. Draco, wandless, started blowing the heat away from his. Draco looked earnestly between Ginny and Harry, "She never used the curses, I swear. Not once! It was always Bellatrix. My mother spent most of her time hating my father and crying. I can even prove it. Before he died, Snape taught me occulemency. He told me he'd also taught you so you know its valid evidence, right?" Harry pushed away the pang of regret and sadness that began to fill his heart and thought.
"Malfoy? What is it exactly you want me to do?"
Draco took a breath, "I need you to be a witness at my mother's hearing. I need you to present my memories as evidence against the Wizengamot's claims and tell them what my mother did for you that night. She told Voldemort," he gulped as he said the name, "she told Him that you were dead so that you could live. You owe her your life." Harry startled. He had never given a thought to the fact he now owed Narcissa Malfoy a life debt. "Please?" Malfoy begged.
Ginny touched his arm, "Harry?" He ignored her and tried to think. He did owe Narcissa a debt and if Draco could prove against her charges, she may have a chance of freedom. But did she deserve it? The only bad thing Harry had ever witnessed her do was duel them as they tried to escape Malfoy manor. Thinking back to it, had she tried to curse them? No, Harry told himself, she only tried to stun us.
"Draco?" he broke out of his reverie, "When's your mother's hearing?"
Draco smiled, "Thank you!"
Harry held up a hand up in protest, "That isn't my answer. I still need time to think about this, so I need to know how long I have."
Draco's smile faded a little, "I only need a chance. The hearing is on Friday."
Harry stood, "You will have my answer then. Are you allowed in the trial?" Malfoy shook his head, "Do you want to be there?" Malfoy nodded. Taking a deep breath Harry replied, "Okay, I'll have a word with Kingsley and see if we can get you in." Malfoy knocked over his tea and it spilled on his mark. Winky jumped back in surprise as Malfoy howled in pain.
"Mister Malfoy, please!" squeaked Winky. She shook her head and pulled out another bandage from the box.
"Are you okay?" Ginny asked gently.
Malfoy nodded, tears rolling down his pale cheeks, "I'm sorry, it's just... I was expecting you to resent me and send me away. I never in my wildest dreams thought you could be so acute and willing to help. I was wrong about you, Potter. You are a great wizard!" Harry blushed at the compliment. He still wasn't used to people saying things like this.
Ginny kissed Harry on the cheek, "He is, isn't he?"
"I think I might have been wrong about you too, Malfoy, or at least, the new you is a huge improvement." Harry thought out his next plan of action. "Winky? Is Mr. Malfoy's arm better yet?"
Winky nodded and handed Draco a potion, "Use this on it once a day." She told him. Draco nodded and placed it into one of his pockets.
"Kreacher? Can you take Draco back to his room at the Leaky Cauldron?" Malfoy stood and shifted his cloak to cover him. "If Tom says anything about you sneaking out, tell him to send me an owl, okay?"
Draco nodded then paused, "What about my memories?"
"I need to talk to McGonagall." Malfoy paled, "I won't say anything about you but I need to use the pensieve in the Headmaster's office. Your right about Snape teaching me Occulemency, but he never taught me Legilimency. If I can use the pensieve, I'll come to you and get the memories, okay?" Draco nodded and held out his hand. Harry reached to shake it but at the least second, Malfoy drew Harry into a bear hug.
"Thank you, Potter." Draco said as he drew back.
"Call me Harry."
A few minutes later Kreacher had departed with Malfoy and Winky had disapparated to Hogsmeade with a message for McGonagall.
"He really has changed, hasn't he?" Ginny asked.
Harry picked up the empty mugs and placed them in the kitchen sink, "I think he has. He didn't even ask for his wand back."
Ginny looked at him, "Are you planning on returning it at one point?" Harry smiled and shrugged his shoulders. Ginny laughed then yawned. I think we'd better get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be busy isn't it?"
Harry kissed her head, "Yeah, but at least we can have some fun." He thought of Diagon Alley. It was strange how much he'd missed the place.
Ginny yawned again, "We're still going to a muggle restaurant as well? Don't tell my dad, but I really want to see what it's like." She told him as they climbed the stairs.
"I wouldn't dream of telling him." Harry stopped outside her door, "Where are you going?" he asked as she continued up the stairs.
"To sleep," she yawned back. Harry considered it. He liked sleeping next to Ginny and Molly wasn't here to chaste them. He shrugged and followed her up. As they curled up together on Harry's bed, the events of the evening passed through his head. He thought he'd never get to sleep but after his head hit the pillow his breathing deepened and slowly, he was pulled into the realm of Morpheus. That night, Harry dreamed of Blast-ended skrewts, nargles and the face of a girl with black hair and eyes as dark as coal.
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