Chapter 1: A Delicate Situation
June 2, 1998, 9:17 am. Ministry of Magic, Family Services office
Harry Potter sat outside the Ministry's Family Services office, wondering why in the world he had been summoned there. He glanced around him curiously, noting the Ministry's flurry of activity. It had been exactly a month since the Battle of Hogwarts – a month since the Second Wizarding War had ended – and the witches and wizards of the magical world's governing body had been working overtime to gather evidence and prosecute the remainder of Voldemort's followers. Harry, along with Ron and Hermione, had spent the last month laying low at a Ministry safehouse in the country – primarily to protect themselves against any potential retaliation by Dark Lord sympathizers, but also to escape the endless parade of reporters and photographers that refused to leave them alone since the war's end.
Even now, as Harry sat waiting, he was disguised - well, not quite disguised, just unnoticeable. And it was all thanks to a certain augmented disillusionment charm Hermione had applied to the amulet on his wrist. He wasn't invisible, but passersby generally paid him no mind unless he addressed them directly.
The office door beside him opened and a young witch who looked to be in her late 20s stuck her head out. Her gaze scanned the hall, searching, but not finding the person she sought. Just as she was about to retreat back into the enclosed space, Harry spoke up.
"Mrs. Stromwell?"
The woman looked surprised, but she quickly shook the sentiment off and adopted a smile.
"Mr. Potter, I didn't see you there. Please, come in."
Harry stepped inside the office. It was cramped, with about twenty different stacks of papers and folders all around the desk. In front of the desk stood two wingback chairs. The 17-year-old eased himself into the chair closest to the door, waiting with slight impatience for the ministry witch to enlighten him as to why he was there.
Mrs. Stromwell sat at her desk facing Harry. "Mr. Potter," She began, folding her hands nervously in front of her. "I have asked you here to discuss a rather, um, delicate situation."
"What sort of delicate situation?" asked Harry, raising an eyebrow.
Taking a deep breath, the woman dived straight in. "Are you aware of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoys' arrest?"
What do the Malfoys have to do with me? Harry wondered. Out loud, he said, "I read something along those lines in the Prophet, but I haven't kept up with the trial. Why?"
The ministry witch nodded, as if she expected this. "Narcissa and Lucius were both sentenced to Azkaban two days ago in back to back trials due to their activities during the war. As a general rule, when two parents are sentenced to incarceration, their offspring are assigned a suitable guardian until they come of age."
Harry was confused. "I don't understand," he stammered. "Draco Malfoy is already of age."
"Not anymore."
If the Boy-Who-Lived had been confused before, he was downright bewildered now. "What?!"
"It appears that, in an effort to save Draco from trial, Lucius Malfoy utilized a forbidden artifact to regress his son's status to a period well before the boy would have been involved in any Death Eater activities."
Harry leaned forward, placing his hands on the desk in front of him. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Stromwell. What exactly are you telling me?"
Knowing that the young man before her was going to find her next statement hard to believe, the ministry witch strove to be as straightforward as possible. "Draco Malfoy has been returned to the status of an 11-year-old child. Well, almost 12. His birthday is Friday."
Harry blinked once, then twice, before speaking again. "You mean mentally, right? Like, the artifact Mr. Malfoy used messed with Draco's mind?"
Mrs. Stromwell shook her head. "I mean both in mentality and stature. In every way you can imagine, Draco Malfoy is an 11-year-old boy. Only his birth certificate and other paperwork belie his true age."
She paused, taking in Harry's shocked look before continuing. "He has retained his memories from his first year at Hogwarts, but does not remember anything beyond that. It was actually quite a clever move on Lucius' part. The Ministry cannot prosecute an underage child with no memory of the actions he committed, and wiping the boy's memories also means that the Ministry cannot use veritaserum or other means to gain further evidence against his parents."
It took the Boy-Who-Lived several moments to find his voice again. "Alright. So, Malfoy is 11 again. Why are you telling me this?"
The witch stared at him as if the answer should be obvious. She pushed a sheet of paper across the desk to him. The top read: GUARDIANSHIP OF A MINOR. "You are aware that you and Draco Malfoy are related, are you not?"
Harry thought of the Black Family Tree at Grimmauld place. There had been a Potter on that tapestry, but he hadn't thought anything of it before now. "Aren't all pureblood families related?" He asked, remembering Sirius' words.
"Yes, they generally are. You and Draco Malfoy share the same great-great-grandfather, via your father's line - Cygnas Black II. The two of you are third cousins. And, as a result, you are his closest living relative."
Harry pushed his glasses up on his nose. "That's not true," he said. "His aunt is alive."
Mrs. Stromwell sighed. "Andromeda Tonks is currently grieving the deaths of her husband, daughter, and son-in-law, and is raising her orphaned grandson. When approached about this, she found the prospect of taking on the guardianship of young Mr. Malfoy overwhelming. She has vehemently refused to take him in."
She probably also blames that side of her family for Tonks' death. Harry thought, looking down at his hands.
"And there's no one else?" He asked.
The witch shook her head. "The Malfoy line is rather linear, and on his mother's side - well, the majority of the Black line is deceased or incarcerated."
He nodded, still looking at his hands. As Mrs. Stromwell continued speaking, though, he glanced up.
"When I told Andromeda that you were next in line, she seemed to think that you would be a good fit for Draco. I believe her exact hope was that you could 'straighten him out."
Harry ran a hand through his hair in exasperation, causing sections of the black locks to stick up awkwardly. "I've never been a guardian of a child before, much less a child that has already been stuffed full of pureblood ideology."
The witch regarded him seriously. "Mr. Potter, after the events of last month, there is no doubt in anyone's mind that you are a natural leader, particularly one that can inspire others. I have also heard word that you are quite adept at teaching. Someone like you could do wonders with a child like Draco."
When Harry still gazed back at her with skeptical eyes, Mrs. Stromwell sighed. "There is another reason that I hope you will accept this guardianship. There have been threats against the Malfoy family, from both sides. They have become quite the social pariahs after the war. I believe the child will be safest with you."
The boy-who-lived let out a groan that sounded more like a growl. He had no idea how he was going to explain any of this to Ron and Hermione. Picking up the quill before him, he only had one further question:
"Where do I sign?"