Chapter 1
Comfort From An Unexpected Source: The Grand Opening of the 2nd Wizarding War Museum at Malfoy Manor
By Skylark Ritter
During the second Wizarding War, Malfoy Manor, a sprawling mansion located just West of Somerset in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire, was a base of operations of sorts for none other than Lord Voldemort and his Death Eater followers. It was there that such horrors as the murder of Hogwarts professor Charity Burbage, the imprisonment of wizard artist Dean Thomas, and the brief imprisonment and torture of Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger took place.
Some readers may daydream about the Malfoy family's fall from grace, even after they defected from the Dark Side at the very last minute of the Battle for Hogwarts, wistfully picturing the once sumptuously decorated mansion in dusty disrepair as the Malfoy line retreats from public eye in shame.
However, as this reporter reveals in a twist of irony, the manor house, once a home to the horrors and violence of a hate-filled, anti-muggle agenda, has been refurbished and converted into a public museum.
The new museum is now the home to many artifacts and learning tools related to the war including the once-possessed diary of Tom Riddle, a life-size replica of Voldemort's snake Nagini, and several staged rooms. The museum also houses the expansive Malfoy family library and their beautiful gardens and orchard. (Which, yes, include those famous albino peacocks!)
Those who attended the grand opening last weekend describe the museum as a "beautiful but chilling reminder of what we've been through." The museum is exceptionally well done and extremely emotional for those who remember the horrors of war. But this new space of remembrance comes as a bit of a shock to the wizarding community.
After the death of Lucius Malfoy, followed by the disappearance of his wife Narcissa, it was assumed that their son Draco would disappear from public eye. However, it seems being a museum director is suiting him just fine.
The museum, despite being run by a Galleon loving man, is free of charge for admittance, though a small donation is encouraged to help the St. Mungo's Children's Wing.
It seems as if , England's Most Eligible Bachelor, has turned a new leaf. That, or he is trying to bribe the wizarding community into perceiving him under a less harsh light.
Either way, the wizarding world has gained a fine new museum that this reporter recommends visiting soon!
declined to comment.
Hermione folded the paper with a scoff. "Most eligible bachelor my foot," she mumbled as she tossed the Daily Prophet onto the cafeteria table.
Since the War, the Daily Prophet had changed editors and regained its reputation as a reputable news source. Now Hermione wasn't so sure. She huffed again to get the boys' attention.
Harry and Ron looked up from their sandwiches. Harry swallowed, "Something wrong, Hermione?"
She picked up the paper and handed it to him, "Take a look."
Harry and Ron looked together and gasped at the same time. Ron snatched the paper from Harry, "No way! The Cannons traded Spinnet!"
Hermione clicked her tongue impatiently and flipped the paper over, "Now that! This."
The two skimmed quickly and both looked up slightly confused.
"So?" Ron asked rudely.
"It doesn't sound like he's doing anything wrong," Harry added.
"Might be kind of neat to have a museum, I wouldn't mind seeing that Nagini replica. That sounds wicked!"
Hermione gave him a look that said 'are you done?' and Ron mumbled a meek apology. She pointed to one of the moving photos in the article, like it was a smoking gun.
"He's forcing elves to run his museum! Don't you remember how horrible he was to things he thought beneath him in school? Imagine how cruel he is to them!"
"Hermione," Harry began gently, "I know where you're going with this and you can't do anything without proof, you told me that once. Just because Ron and I are aurors doesn't mean we can just barge into Malfoy Manor and start interrogating him."
"Well, if I was an auror that's exactly what I would do."
"But you're not an auror," Ron said dismissively, his mouth full of sandwich. "You're just a department worker."
"Just-just a-!" Hermione sputtered. She got up from the table and left in a huff.
Harry looked over at Ron in a tired sort of way.
"Not good, mate."
oOo
Hermione sat in her office re-reading the article. The elves in the photo looked pleasant enough, but how happy could they be working for someone like Malfoy?
"Just a department worker," she cursed under her breath. She knew in her heart that he didn't mean it, but it still stung. She had worked so hard to establish the Department for the Welfare of Magical Creatures, this first of its kind in any country. And she was making a real difference! Under her leadership, centaurs and werewolves were finally given the right to own property, giants could now legally inter-marry with humans, and she put an end to the illegal, but ignored, trade of fairies.
And what were Harry and Ron doing? Sure, they held a flashy title. But with Voldemort dead, all other dark wizards were either in hiding or had stopped making trouble entirely. They always complained about being bored.
She threw the paper down on her desk. "I'll just have to do this myself."
oOo
With a crack, she had apparated directly in front of the Malfoy Manor wrought iron gates. She took a deep breath and began walking up to the house.
The garden path was obnoxiously long.
I'll apparate closer to the front door next time.
However, the front gardens were very beautiful, she couldn't help but enjoy herself.
The manor house itself was fresh and inviting, a far cry from how it looked to her years ago. She hadn't seen much of the exterior when they were abducted…
She pushed away the memory.
Focus.
As she walked, she noticed that the flowers along the path were bewitched to sway in her direction, releasing their pleasant aromas.
Obnoxious.
She also spotted two elves pulling weeds. They curtsied as she walked by. She took out a clipboard and pen and began taking notes, as if these minor observations proved Malfoy's cruelty.
She finally made it to the massive, ebony doors of the manor, which to her surprise were open.
She stepped in and hardly recognized the place. The foyer was bright and cheerful, full of sunlight. It didn't look like a home anymore, a museum front desk placed in the center of the room.
The room was silent and empty.
"Hello?" Hermione asked politely.
No response.
"Hell-OH!" An elf popped into existence right in front of her. She was wearing a small museum uniform and appeared very flustered.
"Hello Miss. I am ever so sorry, but the museum is closed right now. If you would please come back another time? I will recite our operating hours for your convenience: tomorrow we are open from 10am to 5pm. Tuesday we are open from 10am to 5pm. Wednesday we are open 10am to-"
"Slow down!" Hermione laughed kindly. She took her Ministry badge out of her bag and showed it to the elf. "I'm Hermione Granger, I work for the Ministry of Magic. What's your name?"
The elf looked around nervously and whispered, "My name is Thimble, Miss. I really think you should be going, please. The museum is closed. Master Malfoy is making his rounds now, turning the lights off...and I don't think you should be here." Thimble was almost crying.
How has Malofy been treating them?
Not wanting to get poor Thimble into trouble she decided it would be best if she left for now. A second elf appeared at the front door and opened it for her.
"Thank you, Miss. Have a magical day!" This elf said cheerfully.
Hermione lingered a moment in the doorway, as she heard echoing footsteps behind her.
A tall blond man entered the foyer. He was dressed smartly, gray slacks, white button down, green tie, of course. Even though he looked tired he was still very handsome, not that Hermione would ever acknowledge that. He had his back to her as he began putting out some of the lights with his wand. Ignorant to her existence, he approached the front desk and began leafing through some paperwork. With a sigh, he scratched the back of his head with his wand.
Little did he know, this was one of Hermione's biggest pet peeves. She was always scolding people for doing this, it was dangerous!
"You know you shouldn't do that?" she blurted out, unable to control herself.
He froze, but did not turn around. "I suppose I ought to follow your advice, seeing that you're the smartest witch in our year."
He turned to face her.
She got a better look at him. The last time she had seen him in person was at the Final Battle. Even before then, in sixth year he had always looked terrible: ghostly pale, exhausted, always a scowl on his face. In fact, she had never seen him without a scowl. The face she saw now was different. He was calm and was eyeing her curiously, the Slytherin slyness ever-present, but not necessarily with ill-intentions. She didn't know what to think, so she remained silent.
He took his time-piece out of his pocket and looked at the time, "We really are closed. Perhaps you should come back when I'm more mentally prepared for you, Granger. I'll send an owl."
With that, he strode out of the room leaving her to be gently shuffled out of the building by the two elves.
oOo