*This chapter is a combination of what actually happened in the book, combined with a little embellishment. In some places, I've paraphrased what's written in the book. In other places, I've taken directly from the text. I guess I should say that right here, so no one accuses me of plagiarism. J K Rowling gets all the credit for the characters and quotes I've taken from the book. 'nough said. It's funny that even some of the original dialogue works into my version.
Since Rowling didn't write anything about the Malfoys' fate, I took the liberty of coming up with one.
On another note, I was really kind of overwhelmed by the response to the past chapter. Thank you ALL so much for your kind words!
They were caught. There was nothing they could do. Harry'd said Voldemort's name, and almost instantly, they were caught. Luckily, Hermione had the presence of mind to protect Harry he best she could.
The pain was excruciating but Harry understood.
With their wands confiscated, the trio had no choice but to allow themselves to be taken by Greyback and Scabior. Once Greyback put two and two together, and figured out who Harry really was, they were on their way to Malfoy Manor.
Narcissa was strangely polite to her 'guests'. Not so much Lucius. Harry hadn't noticed Draco sitting in a corner until his mother addressed him.
Harry caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror, barely recognizing the contorted face. He thought there was a chance that Draco wouldn't be able to positively identify him. Narcissa kept pushing Draco to get closer, to tell them whether or not Harry Potter was really in their home. There was a lot riding on Draco's assessment.
Though his eyes were so puffy, he could barely see through them, Harry could see Draco's face once he got close enough.
Their faces were close enough for Harry to see the striations in Draco's grey irises. When he had occupied Draco's body, he had become quite familiar with the slight color variations in Draco's eyes. To the casual observer, the younger Malfoy's eyes seemed the same cold grey as Lucius's, who stood beside his son. But upon intimate inspection, one could make out pale blues and greens. There was even a ring of very pale yellow right around each pupil. His left eye had what Harry could only describe as a freckle. Mainly because it reminded him of the ones on Ron's face. And it was nearly the same shade of faded orange. It fascinated Harry, and he had spent a lot of time looking at Draco's eyes in the mirror.
They stared at one another. Harry thought he saw a flicker of . . . something in Draco's eyes. He did his best to convey how desperately he wanted Draco to deny him. If Draco said he wasn't Harry Potter, Voldemort wouldn't be called. He, Ron and Hermione were still in grave danger, but less so than from the Dark Lord himself.
Draco licked his lips, perhaps remembering their last encounter.
"I don't know," he abruptly left to go to his mother's side.
Inwardly, Harry breathed a sigh of relief. But Draco couldn't get out of identifying Hermione, or Ron. They looked like themselves and the adults in the room had seen them on occasion as well. Reluctantly, Draco admitted they were Harry's friends. The only thing that stopped them from calling Voldemort was the sword of Gryffindor. When Bellatrix spotted it, she had a fit. At the time, Harry didn't know why. Didn't care. All he knew was that they were getting a small reprieve. He had no idea it was about to get much worse, for Hermione.
Hatching a plan, and executing it while Hermione's screams echoed through the castle was no small feat. A few times, Harry thought Ron would be uselessly thrown into despair. But they managed, with the help of Dobby, to get the others out of the cellar.
When Lucius called for Draco to check the noises in the cellar, Harry hoped for another chance to convince him to join them. But Lucius had changed his mind and sent Wormtail instead.
No one was more surprised than Harry that Voldemort's pet had strangled himself with his rogue metal hand. He and Ron didn't have time to make sense of it. They got the chance they needed to escape and rescue Hermione.
Once again finding themselves outmatched, Ron and Harry were forced to drop the wands they had snatched from Wormtail and Bellatrix, allowing Draco to pick them up. The Dark Lord had been called and Harry knew it was only a matter of moments before their fates would be sealed.
With Dobby to distract them all with a falling chandelier, though, Harry had hope. Ron scooped Hermione out from under the debris and Harry leapt at Draco, whose face was covered with blood from shards of shattered glass.
"Come with us," Harry said desperately.
"I can't."
"He's coming. Any moment now, the Dark Lord will be here."
"I can't leave my parents."
"But he'll kill you."
"Then so be it." Draco replied somberly.
"Draco," Harry cried in anguish. He didn't have time to spare. He ripped the wands from Draco's hands and turned to Griphook, who was still in the wreckage of the fallen chandelier. He threw a wand to Ron and told him to go. He picked up the goblin, clutching the Sword of Gryffindor, and took Dobby's hand.
As they disapparated away, he caught one more glimpse of Draco. The boy didn't turn him in. And Harry couldn't repay the favor. Before he knew it, they were at Bill and Fleur's cottage, where he would find that things were even worse.
hdhdhdhdhd
In the days and weeks that followed, Harry's sadness at losing Dobby was kept at bay by busying himself with plans to continue the Horcrux hunt. In the back of his mind, though, he wondered what had become of Voldemort's followers after he and the others left the manor, Draco in particular. He wasn't exaggerating when he told Draco he thought that Voldemort was going to kill them. Though he hadn't known for certain, he would have bet all his galleons. Harry dearly hoped Draco was still alive.
After retrieving the small gold cup from Bellatrix's vault, then sneaking into Hogwarts, Harry was much too preoccupied to think about Draco. He was seeing more and more into the Dark Lord's mind. And they were so close to finding the next Horcrux in the castle.
His talk with Helena Ravenclaw went better than expected. Harry knew what he was looking for, but still not where to find it. As he made his way through the castle, meeting up with Hagrid at one point, his memory was jogged by the dismembered heads of the gargoyles they had to step over. They reminded him of the stone statue in Ravenclaw Tower wearing the diadem.
Suddenly, Draco was once again forefront in Harry's mind. He recalled their last strange conversation before Dumbledore was killed. Draco was telling him where to find his potions book. Harry never did go back to retrieve it, but that wasn't important at the moment. The book was immaterial. But Draco mentioned a tiara that he put on top of a bust. He had held the lost diadem of Ravenclaw in his hand and never knew it.
Finally catching up with Ron and Hermione (and having to watch their ill-timed first kiss), Harry got into the Room of Requirement. The trio set about looking for the diadem.
"Hold it, Potter."
Harry turned toward the voice to see Crabbe and Goyle with their wands pointed at them. Behind them stood Draco.
"That's my wand," Draco said.
Harry looked down. Yes, he had taken to Draco's wand over the others. It was familiar to him, and it seemed to remember him as well. He'd almost forgotten that it didn't really belong to him, despite what Ollivander told him about ownership of wands.
"I need it," Harry told him. "Who's lent you theirs?"
"My mother."
Harry recalled Narcissa being disarmed, but neither he nor Ron picked up the tossed wand. "Why aren't you with Voldemort?"
"We're gonna be rewarded," said Crabbe. "We decided to bring you to 'im."
Harry scoffed. He slowly edged backward toward the cupboard that housed the potions book, bust and diadem, never taking his eyes off Draco's face.
Crabbe, ever the eloquent one, continued. "We was hiding, then you turned up right in front of us and said you was looking for a die-dum. What's a die-dum?"
Just for a moment, Harry's eyes flickered up to the crown. He noticed Draco do the same thing. Draco knew what a diadem was, even if he didn't know it was a Horcrux.
Ron's voice from around the corner caused Crabbe to panic and cast a Descendo at the mountain of junk. It fell next to Ron, but thankfully missed him.
Draco stopped Crabbe from trying the spell again. Harry heard him say that Crabbe might bury the diadem if he topped the pile. It was then that Harry realized Draco was finally beginning to have hope. He wanted Harry to find what he was looking for.
But Crabbe wasn't having any of it. He didn't want to hear Draco's excuse for why they should let Harry find the diadem. He tried to cast a Crucio at Harry, hitting the bust with the diadem on it instead. Harry watched as it flew into the air and out of reach once again.
"Stop!" Draco yelled at Crabbe, restraining his arm. "Don't kill him."
"I'm not killing him, am I?" A Stunning Spell barely missed Crabbe as Draco pulled him out of the way.
Unfortunately, that left Crabbe free to cast the Killing Spell at Hermione, which, thankfully, missed. Furious at Crabbe, Harry sent his own Stunning Spell his way. The oaf moved out of the way, knocking Draco's wand out of his hand, leaving him unarmed.
"Don't kill him! Don't kill him!" Draco begged. He hid out of the way, unable to do anything without his wand.
Goyle was finally hit with a Stunning Spell after he'd been disarmed by Harry. Crabbe was the only one of the three boys who still had a wand.
Unfortunately.
The Fiendfyre quickly engulfed the room, sending all of them running for their lives, except for Goyle, who was still out cold. Draco had grabbed him, trying to drag him along to safety.
After losing track of the Slytherins, Harry found a couple of old brooms, handing one to Ron, for him and Hermione. Harry's mind raced as they flew in an attempt to escape. Where was Draco? Would he make it out alive? It would be a tragedy if he died a meaningless death after seeming to change his ways, going so far as to protect Harry from his friends. Then Harry heard the scream.
"It's too dangerous!" Ron yelled, knowing what Harry was most likely thinking. But Harry wasn't listening. He had to find them. His conscience wouldn't stand for anything less.
He made a pass, trying to grasp Draco's hand. But Goyle was too heavy for Draco to get onto Harry's broom alone. His hands were sweaty and he lost his grip on Harry's hand.
"If we die for them, I'll kill you, Harry!" Ron yelled. But he and Hermione dragged Goyle onto their broom anyway, leaving Harry to retrieve Draco.
Draco held tight around Harry's waist, resting his cheek on Harry's back.
"Thank you. Thank you." Black smoke billowed up, making it difficult to breathe. "The door! Get to the door!"
Harry followed Ron and Hermione's broom, but then caught sight of the lost diadem. He doubled back, provoking Draco to yell at him again. Harry wasn't dissuaded, and he caught the crown around his wrist. And once more, Harry flew toward what he hoped was the door out.
"That way," Draco pointed.
Harry saw it, a small rectangular patch on the wall. That had to be it. Knowing they would make it out after all, Harry allowed himself to be aware of his current situation. Draco had tried to keep Crabbe and Goyle from killing him, and he, in turn saved Draco's life. Despite the hot air all around them from the flames, Harry could still feel Draco's breath on his neck. He could feel Draco's arms wrapped tightly around him. Not in fear. Well, not only in fear. His embrace was not merely the clutching on of a person afraid for his life. There was something tender in it.
Again, Draco choked out, "Thank you."
They reached the entrance and tumbled out, struggling for breath, coughing, and retching. The five of them sat panting, coming down from their ordeal. The door to the Room of Requirement closed.
"C-Crabbe?" Draco seemed to have just realized he was missing a companion. "C-Crabbe?"
"He's dead," Ron said harshly.
Draco paled and looked at Harry. Harry looked back.
"Draco, I-" An explosion rocked the castle, distracting them all. the battle was still going on around them. There wasn't time for any sort of meaningful conversation between the two of them.
The diadem in Harry's hand broke apart, destroyed by the fiendfyre. The next thing he knew, Harry was being pulled along by his friends to move on to their next task. He gave a last look to Draco, on the floor next to Goyle, who was still unconscious.
Draco appeared torn between staying and helping Greg, and joining Harry. There was no way Ron and Hermione would have let him come with them, so it was for the best that Draco remained on the floor.
Harry only saw Draco twice more that night. Once briefly, as he was trying to convince a Death Eater not to attack him. Ron punched him from under the invisibility cloak for being two-faced. But Harry knew that Draco was only doing what he had to do to survive. The second time he caught sight of him was after it was all over. Draco sat with his parents in the Great Hall, looking very much out of place, yet no one asked them to leave. Harry thought perhaps in light of their celebration, the good folks of Hogwarts and their families could afford to be a little charitable.
hdhdhdhdhd
In the aftermath of the Battle of Hogwarts, many Death Eaters were prosecuted, and persecuted. Occasionally, justice was doled out in private rather than through the courts of the Ministry. The Malfoys, being a prominent pureblood family, were not able to escape accusations for their part in the war.
Lucius, well known as a Death Eater, was charged with aiding and abetting known criminals in his home, and being an accessory to the death of Professor Charity Burbage, in addition to several other charges. Even though Narcissa didn't carry the Dark Mark herself, she was also accused of harboring criminals. Draco's status was hidden, and because of his age was not formally charged with any crimes.
At the Malfoys' trial, Harry asked to be heard. Kingsley Shacklebolt, the new Minister of Magic allowed it, much to the protests of several members of the Wizengamot.
"I'm not saying that the Malfoys are completely innocent," Harry told the court. "But, there were times, when my mind was connected to Voldemort's." He could hear several soft gasps, even several weeks after theDark Lord's death. The name instilled fear, even then.
He continued. "I could see, and feel what Voldemort could. He was ruthless and persuasive. Anyone who went against him, even the most loyal of servants, was not spared his wrath. I believe the Malfoys had no choice but to open up their home to him and the Death Eaters."
There were murmurs in the court room as members of the Wizengamot debated Harry's account. Not that they didn't believe him. Some merely didn't think fear excused the Malfoys' actions.
"I can't speak to whether or not Mr. Malfoy had committed other crimes, but he was forced to obey Voldemort's commands. And, through my connection, I could see the apprehension on Lucius Malfoy's face. I do believe he regretted it."
"That's all well and good," the member of the Wizengamot who was handling the prosecution said condescendingly. "But you are not denying that he committed the crime. Charity Burbage was murdered in the Malfoys' very home, in front of witnesses, and they did nothing to stop it."
"No one dared to," Harry was quick to say. "Not just the Malfoys. But it was Voldemort himself who cast the killing spell."
"Hmph. If that is all-"
"No," Harry said. "I didn't come here only to make excuses for the Malfoys. I came to tell the court what it doesn't know about the Malfoys helping me."
More murmurs among the Wizengamot.
The lead prosecutor laughed. "Are we to believe that Death Eaters helped you in any way, when you yourself just got finished saying they were too afraid to go against . . . the Dark Lord?" The man couldn't bring himself to say the name.
Harry nodded. "Yes. Despite their fear, they helped me. In fact, if it weren't for Narcissa Malfoy and . . . Draco." Harry swallowed, and wondered if anyone noticed the way his voice cracked and the blood rushed to his face when he said Draco's name. The memory of Draco holding on tightly to him on the broomstick kept popping into his mind. "I wouldn't have been able to defeat Voldemort."
The murmurs of the court room grew, some to raised voices of incredulity. Kingsley banged his gavel and called for quiet, addressing Harry himself.
"Please, Harry, explain yourself."
Nodding, Harry glanced to Narcissa, sitting stoically along with her family. Draco chose to sit beside them, even though he had not been formally charged.
"When I went to the woods, to give myself to Voldemort, I fully expected to die. But, something strange happened, and only the part that was connected to Voldemort died. And I found myself coming to consciousness on the floor of the woods. I knew, the moment he realized I wasn't actually dead, Voldemort would try again, and he would succeed in killing me."
The court room was silent as Harry recounted the story he hadn't told anyone outside his close circle of friends.
"Someone approached me. Someone who was supposed to verify my death. It was Mrs. Malfoy. She leaned over me and whispered, asking me if . . . her son was safe and if he was in Hogwarts." Harry avoided Draco's name, and his gaze, to keep from blushing. "I whispered back that yes, he was safe, as far as I knew. She sat up and, to my surprise, announced that I was dead."
More gasps. Narcissa's mouth dropped open slightly, while Lucius turned to her and gaped. Apparently, she hadn't told Lucius what she had done. A small smile grew on Draco's face. Kingsley banged his gavel once more.
"Because he thought I was dead, Voldemort became too confident. And I was able to escape and confront him on my own terms. Which, as you all know, I did."
"Yes, Harry," Kingsely bowed his head slightly. "For which, the wizarding world will be forever in your debt."
"And I will be forever in Narcissa Malfoy's debt." Harry addressed the Wizengamot as a whole. "I ask you to spare her. It took a great deal of courage to go against Voldemort. I know she did it for her son, not necessarily for me. But still, they did not fight against us when they entered the castle. They changed sides, perhaps a little late, but they made a difference."
Harry was about to tell the court about Draco's role, how he refused to identify him to Bellatrix. Kingsley had other ideas.
"Wizengamot, it is time for a decision. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy stand accused of harboring known criminals and committing crimes against the Ministry. We have heard testimony from several witnesses. I ask now for a vote."
The Wizengamot deliberated after casting a Muffliato on nonmembers of the court. While Harry sat off to the side, he could feel Draco's gaze on him. He looked up in time to see Draco glance away, a slight blush on his face. Because of the Muffliato, Harry knew it would be useless to try and talk to him. So he decided to wait until the Wizengamot came to a decision.
In a surprisingly short amount of time, the charm was removed and the members of the Wizengamot returned to their respective places.
"You have agreed on a verdict?" Shacklebolt asked.
"We have." The senior member stood, prompting the Malfoys to stand as well.
Shacklebolt nodded. "What say you?"
"Lucius Malfoy, due to overwhelming evidence connecting you to the crimes of which you have been accused, this court has found you guilty."
While Narcissa and Lucius remained emotionless, Draco turned to Harry with panic on his face. But there was nothing more Harry could do.
"In light of Mr. Potter's testimony, however, we have decided to reduce the traditional sentence of time in Azkaban to three years of house arrest. Lucius Malfoy shall also make reparations in the form of service to the wizarding community."
For the first time, Harry saw a chink in Lucius' façade. The man appeared beyond relieved.
"Thank you," Lucius bowed. He reached for Narcissa'a hand.
"Narcissa Malfoy." She turned her attention to the senior Wizengamot. "While the courts cannot condone your prior actions, you have proven yourself an ally to the wizarding world. Therefore, the charges against you have been dismissed."
She collapsed back into her chair, as Draco and Lucius descended upon her, a pile of Malfoys grateful for their ultimate fate.
Harry was satisfied. And he believed the rest of the wizarding world would see that justice had been served. Lucius had not gotten off completely, though his movements would be severely restricted. The man was luckier than most Death Eaters who had been caught so far. Those who had not been sentenced to Azkaban had been killed resisting their capture. There were plenty of them still at large, and their fates would be no better.
As Lucius' sentence was to begin immediately, the Malfoys were being escorted out of the room before Harry realized it.
"Wait." He leapt from his seat. "Wait, I want to talk to them."
The guard escorting them stopped and the three Malfoys turned to him.
Narcissa allowed herself to smile. "Thank you, Harry Potter, for our freedom." She glanced at Lucius. "Freedom, compared to what might have been."
Lucius tentatively held out his hand. It reminded Harry of years ago, at Madam Malkin's, when Draco had done the same. Harry looked down at the hand. This man had done wrong, so much wrong — against him, against Ginny, against Dumbledore. But the war was over, and this man was Draco's father. Ever taking the high road, Harry shook the hand.
"I appreciate all you've done for my family," Lucius said. "I-I'm not certain why you did it. But I- we are all grateful."
Harry nodded, then addressed Narcissa particularly. "I never did get a chance to thank you for what you did in the forest. It took great courage. I meant what I said. I am in your debt."
"Which you have repaid," she said. "Let this be a fresh start for us." She gave Draco a quick look. "For all of us."
"Agreed."
The whole while, Draco looked as if he had something to say, but he kept quiet. In the end, he merely held out his hand, the way his father had. When Harry took it, his mouth suddenly went dry. Draco looked him in the eye and whispered softly.
"Thank you."
"Any time," Harry said, then rolled his eyes at his awkward response.
"Time to move along," the guard said. He took out his wand as they moved out the door, in case some overzealous bystander decided that Lucius had gotten off too easily.
"Oh, wait," Harry yelled. He strode up to Draco. "I have your wand."
"I thought you needed it."
Harry took out his own wand. "I was able to repair it."
"How?"
"I . . . it's probably better if I don't talk about that."
Draco looked disappointed, but his expression changed when Harry handed him his wand. Narcissa's wand had been lost in the fiendfyre, and Lucius had lost his to Voldemort himself. For weeks, the Malfoys had been defenseless without any of their wands. Neither Narcissa, nor Lucius had been allowed to commission a new one. Draco knew Harry had his and he had hoped to eventually get it back.
"Your mother should be allowed to get a new wand now that the charges have been dropped," Harry smiled.
Draco nodded, feeling the familiar weight of his wand. "Thank you."
Harry chuckled. "I think we've all been saying that a lot lately. Why don't we agree that we're all grateful, and there's no need to say it anymore."
Because Lucius was the only family member that officially needed an escort, the party began to move on, leaving Draco behind.
"I should, um, probably go," Draco stammered.
"Yeah, I reckon you have some celebrating to do."
"Yeah. Tha-" Draco stopped himself and he and Harry shared a laugh.
They stood, facing each other, neither wanting to leave, yet neither saying they wanted to stay.
"Well, maybe we'll run into each other sometime," Draco finally found the courage to say.
"Yeah, maybe."
Draco turned and swiftly caught up to his parents. Before the guard disapparated them away, Draco glanced back to Harry one more time.
*just a side note, if you look on page 523 of The Deathly Hallows, Hermione asks Harry how Ron looks with his disguise. His answer?
"Well, he's not my type, but he'll do." lol I'll take that as proof that Harry really is gay