Draco & Snape
For the Best
Straylight Run
(Words and Music owned by Straylight Run)
Draco took a deep breath as the doors of the headmaster's office opened and he started speaking as soon as he walked inside. "Professor McGonagall, I have appreciated your attempts to encourage my return to Hogwarts, but…I am still not ready to come back."
McGonagall stood and motioned for Draco to sit, "Good evening, Mr. Malfoy. I assure you, I was merely the messenger this time. You were summoned by someone else."
"Who?" Draco looked around briefly then back to the professor for a response.
"By me…"
Draco turned, complete shock washing across his face. "You're dead."
Snape rolled his eyes as he moved slowly towards the desk and sat in a chair across from Draco, "Do I look dead, Mr. Malfoy?"
"You look close..." Draco cowered and looked up at Professor McGonagall as she stood from behind the desk.
"I am going to give you some privacy." She moved from the room swiftly, quietly shutting the door behind her.
"I'm sorry, but…how are you alive and no one knew about it?" Draco's hesitation turned to near excitement that his mentor was breathing before him.
"We are here to discuss you, Draco." Snape shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he continued, "Why haven't you returned to finish your seventh year?"
Draco shrugged and looked down, but the silence told him that a response was expected and finally he looked up again. "I can't come back here. People hated me enough before, but for whatever reason, now I tend to care about that. Pardoned or not, I can not return."
"You've obviously changed after all that has happened…show them…prove it."
"How? Whether or not I actually did it I planned to kill Dumbledore –"
"Because you were forced to," Snape spoke in a reprimanding tone and continued before Draco could respond, "The truth is out now and you have been pardoned for your actions. You have been given a second chance, Draco. Don't throw this one away."
Draco slumped back in his chair and sighed, "Pardoned…because the blessed Chosen One said it should be so. No doubt only in repayment for the fact that my mother saved his life. I hate that six months have passed and he is as revered as ever and I am still darted glances of suspicion and disgust. Nothing has changed, except now I have no purpose…no direction, no discipline. And the worst part is that I am relieved the Dark Lord is dead and pleased that I am free to live whatever life I want. Still, I can't help thinking that it may be for the best if I just…fade away."
"Or you could stand up and give Potter a run for the fame and the glory. He's already accomplished his greatness. What if this is your time and you're just letting it slip away?"
"What if it's already gone? Everything I was is gone. All of my aspirations and confidences shattered over seven years of destruction and chaos. Crabbe is dead. Goyle has been slightly mad since the battle. Zabini left the country. Pansy is…well its better if she just stays away. Look at what I drove her to…"
"So you will be ruled by your past? How disappointing. I was once in your shoes… doubting my right to be better and accepted and…well I had to make the choice to lay in a gutter or aspire to something more. And here I am. Strange…I think I remember there being a teaching position available in the potions department here at Hogwarts. Of course…someone who excelled consistently in their time here and finished their education would be a perfect candidate. All you need are two recommendations to the current headmaster and –"
"Finish school, Draco, and the job will be yours." Dumbledore smiled down from his portrait as the blond looked over at him, startled. "One more year in the company of Mr. Potter will make it all worth it in the end."
Draco smiled as he sat back in his seat and whispered, "Thank you." He paused for a moment to consider the possibilities of returning to Hogwarts then staying on as a professor. After a few quiet moments he stood and smiled, "If I were to return, would it be acceptable for me to do so on Monday?"
A proud smile washed across Snape's face and Dumbledore nodded his confirmation. With one more appreciative smile, Draco nodded respectfully to Dumbledore then Snape, "I will need your help, of course, catching up."
"That can be arranged." Snape watched as Draco walked to the door, interrupting quickly before the blond slipped out of sight, "And, Professor Malfoy…see to it that you do not allow Potter to distract you this time. It might even be helpful if you considered being civil."
Draco rolled his eyes and sighed, "We'll see…" He opened the door and headed down the spiral staircase when suddenly a grating and familiar voice interrupted his daydreaming.
"Malfoy? What are you doing here?" Harry stopped a few steps down from the blond and waited for a response.
"I had a meeting…with the headmaster." Draco smiled, trying to implement his mentor's words of wisdom. "I'll see you around, Potter." Before the other boy could respond Draco headed down the stairs; a new found spring in his step toward a future he had never thought to imagine.
