Chapter 12: Nature vs. Nurture

O-o-o-o-o-o-o

Hermione entered the Ministry Monday morning finally ready to discuss Draco's file with Alden. She walked into his office and shut the door.

"Mr. Northcott, what did you take from Malfoy's file?" She sat down and he looked up from his papers.

"Good morning, Granger," he greeted her, finishing up what he was writing and placing the parchment to the side.

"Do you think he's a terrible person?" She asked bluntly.

He sighed, "I think he is troubled," he said, "He was raised in a family where the Death Eater lifestyle was normalized. Whether it agonized Lucius or not, it was normalized."

"It's just that the man I know," she thought for a second before finishing, "Now anyway, maybe not in the Hogwarts days, but the man I know now... it just doesn't fit in his personality. And even the Hogwarts version of Malfoy, he was childish and mean but he wasn't evil."

"Now you're talking nature versus nurture, Granger. How about you tell me the difference and we'll discuss."

"Well, nature would be how he was born. His genes, his personality, the things that are inherent without outside impact. And then nurture would be how he was raised, and how his environment shaped him."

"He was nurtured to follow Voldemort," Alden nodded, "His environment created the Death Eater within him when by nature, he would not be a killer. Do you see where the issue comes in? He was brought up for something he didn't have the heart to do."

"I don't know, I do have to remember that back in Hogwarts he could be cruel. Maybe it was in him all along. He used to.. he used to call me 'Mudblood' all the time."

Alden paused for a moment, "That's certainly not a nice thing to do, and it's certainly not okay. But I think that's nurture again, Granger. He was nurtured to be arrogant and superior. I don't think his nature kicked in until he was pushed past the boundaries of his natural instincts. I think when he was, when they made him a killer, then all of the nasty things he'd said and done in the past presented themselves on a platter and he had to make an internal decision to either follow his nature or his nurture... and eventually he walked away from Voldemort. I think at the end of the day, that decision was nature."

"But how do you know a person is good when they've been horrible in the past."

"You saw past it when you first brought him in," Alden said simply, "It wasn't until you realized how far down he had fallen that you let his past overshadow his character."

Hermione sat back, thinking before looking at him again, "You haven't answered my question as to whether or not you think he's a bad person."

"It's not a question I need to answer. I'm the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and he is the main suspect in our biggest case. All I need to know is whether he is guilty or innocent, and my best detective has been telling me for months now that he is innocent to the point in which I believe her. You believed he had changed and you saw truth in him that no one else seems to be able to find."

They looked at each other quietly for a moment.

"Do you think he's a terrible person, Granger?"

"No," she said honestly, "But what does that make me if I can look at a killer and think he deserves redemption?"

"It makes you human, Granger. It makes you compassionate. You can't change the past, but you can help him find a brighter future if you think he's innocent now. He's answered for the crimes he committed in the war. He was set in front of a jury and they exonerated him. He was honest, took responsibility and apologized for everything he did. He went to the home of the Peppers. Did he tell you that?"

Hermione looked shocked, "No, he didn't tell me that."

"Well he did. He went there and apologized in person, asked if there was anything he could do for their family, offered Octavius' wife a large amount of galleons as some kind of compensation, which of course she didn't accept. I did some asking around about him after I read his file. You had so much faith in him, I needed to know more before I passed judgment. He made his mistakes, but he's done more than most to climb back up. I also think it's important for you to remember that a lot of people had to do things during the war that they wish they hadn't on both sides."

"I know, sir. It's just that this was an innocent person that they sought out to kill, it feels different than what happened during the battle," Hermione hesitated for a moment, "Mr. Northcott, do you think I can ever look at him like I did before?"

"As innocent?" He raised his eyebrows, "For his sake, I hope so."

Hermione nodded, realizing the question was probably much too forward. Draco was like her partner on this case. She got up, and walked over to the door to take her leave.

"As whatever else he may be to you?" Alden said a little quieter, "Well, as your boss, I don't think I can opine. But he seems like a good lad at heart from all you've told me."

Hermione gave him a small smile as she pulled the door open, "I appreciate that."

"And Granger," he said, seemingly making a last minute decision on his final thoughts, "I'm going to keep telling you not to get personally involved because I have to. You still need to separate your feelings for him from this case and be objective. But you can make your own judgments. You're allowed to forgive him. It doesn't make you a bad person to be able to see past someone else's flaws. No matter how big they are."

Hermione had never felt more lucky to have him as a mentor as she did in that moment, no matter how awkward he may have felt saying it, "Thank you, Mr. Northcott," she stepped through the door and heard him faintly yell "Alden!" As it clicked shut.

As the work day came to an end, she walked outside the Ministry and apparated to Malfoy Manor. She hadn't told Draco she was coming, so she knew it would be a few minutes before he met her at the gates, once he realized the sensors had been tripped.

She stood there for a good ten minutes before she saw a figure walking towards her up the path. To her surprise, it wasn't Draco. It was Narcissa.

"Can I help you?" Narcissa asked once she reached the gates.

"I'm looking for Mal- Draco," Hermione said, "We're working together on his case. I just wanted to go over a few things with him."

"You're the Granger girl?" She asked, and Hermione realized again how crazy it was that they never ran into his parents around the Manor when she was there, "You've been here a lot recently. I don't think he mentioned you were coming tonight."

"I wasn't planning to," Hermione said, "But we have some important things to discuss."

Narcissa looked down her nose at her, "Can you prove that you are who you say you are? These are not the easiest times for us."

Hermione pulled the sleeve of her robe up to reveal the inscription on her arm, "Your sister gave me this in your ballroom," she said.

Narcissa looked huffy, "Well there's no need to be rude," she said, lifting the wards on on the gates and ushering Hermione through, "I was just trying to be careful."

"I wasn't trying to be rude," Hermione held her head high, "But that is something that you and I both know that others wouldn't."

"I suspect Draco has apologized for those times?" Narcissa asked.

"He has."

"Good," she said, "He'd be getting an earful if he hadn't. We're a changed family."

"He's been nothing but pleasant to work with," Hermione said earnestly.

"Yes, he speaks very highly of you as well," Narcissa looked over at her curiously, "And you do spend a decent amount of time here. Are you interested in my son?"

She certainly was forward, "Your son is my partner right now. I believe he's innocent and we're working to piece this all together."

"You're evading my question," she said as they reached the doors. Instead of opening them, she stopped and faced Hermione, "He's a good boy. He's been through a lot but he is good. The last thing he needs is his name dragged through the mud again. We are incredibly grateful for your help with his case and your faith in him. But beyond that, you should both be careful. You've lived very different lives."

Hermione was about to respond, but the door opened and Draco stood inside.

"Mother," he tilted his head at her and she turned from Hermione and walked inside past Draco, patting him on the shoulder, and headed towards the kitchens.

"Granger," Draco turned to her, "I didn't know you'd be stopping by."

"I wasn't sure if you'd want me to so I just didn't tell you," she gave him a half smile.

"Well come on in, you're here anyway," he said, stepping aside. She couldn't immediately tell his mood, he didn't seem angry, maybe a little annoyed but also a little happy to see her.

They walked to the den, which was still littered with files, and sat on the couch, ready for round two of their discussion, now that they'd had the night to sleep on it.

"I still have a lot of things I'm sifting through in my head," she told him, "But I still believe you're innocent, I still want to work with you, and there's a very large part of me that wants to put your past in your past," she saw him open his mouth to interject, but she held up a hand and continued, "I'm not going to tell you it's easy for me because it's not," he shut his mouth again, waiting patiently to hear what she had to say, "You were right when you said I'd never truly understand, but that doesn't mean I won't ever be able to sympathize and separate who you had to be from who you are. I already know you're not the same person you were at Hogwarts. If you were, this would be much more unpleasant for us both."

"Of course we can still work together, I'd still like to clear my name," he said, "But as for the rest of it, I don't think you'll ever be able to fully see past it. I think you should put whatever we had out of your mind and we can just forget about it."

"I'd like you to give me the chance to see past it," she said again, "I've looked past a lot of things, maybe this is just another obstacle. I'm not saying I can I'm just saying maybe."

"You mean like seeing past me calling you a Mudblood for the entirety of our childhood? Or my Aunt torturing you? Or trying to stop Potter from getting the Diadem in the Room Of Requirement? Or letting Death Eaters into the castle to kill Dumbledore? If you can see past those things, what's murdering another wizard?" His self-loathing was palpable.

"When you put it like that, it's a miracle I ever did look past it," she raised her eyebrows, "Do you want me to think badly of you, Malfoy? You're absolutely correct that there's a lot I could pull from to hold against you. When you first walked into my office I believed you because I'd already seen change in you after the Battle and I wanted that to be who you are. So yes, I did try to put all of that behind you until I read your file. So what do you want from me right now?"

"I don't know," he looked frustrated, "Obviously I don't want you to think I'm a monster. But I think a part of me needs you to so you can protect yourself. Part of me needs you to see me how I see me so I can come to terms with it. If someone else tells me I'm horrid, maybe I won't have to keep reminding myself."

"I'm not going to do that," she told him, "I won't put you down more and I don't need protecting. I need you to let me work through this and see where I come out. Will you let me do that and not try to make me think worse of you until I come to my own decision?"

Draco just nodded, he still looked like he wanted to keep pushing it.

"Until then, I need my partner back."

Draco was out of arguments, "Fine," he said, "But not tonight. It's been a hell of a day."

Her eyes sparked with a hint of laughter, even when he was frustrated he still had a wit about him, "I just wanted to come talk so that next time I send an owl you won't ignore it. And maybe next time I'm here we can have a nice friendly conversation again."

She was easy to be annoyed at but hard to be mad at. He rolled his eyes, "Yes, yes, I'll try again to be more pleasant. It's not really in my nature."

"I think it's entirely in your nature," she gave him a small smile and he gave her a sarcastic one back.

She stood up and they walked to the front gates, discussing the files they could look at tomorrow, trying to relax into a more normal demeanor, the hardest part of the discussion behind them. As they reached the gates, she paused, unsure how to say goodbye now.

His eyes were still guarded, but his lip curled up and he pulled her in and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, "Is this pleasant enough for you, Granger?" He said wryly, but she could feel the sincerity behind it. It felt warm and comforting, absorbing some of the agony of the last two weeks. They stood there for a minute before Draco finally pulled back, "It sure has been a rollercoaster working with you."

"Well buckle up, the ride's just getting started," she said as she stepped out of the gates, "See you tomorrow."

O-o-o-o-o-o-o

The next few weeks at the Ministry were hectic but Hermione had fallen back into her stopovers at the Manor throughout the week. Things felt friendly but strained, like they both wanted to move past what was said, but they couldn't. They kept things professional, no more late night kissing or couch cuddling, but there was always a strong hug at the end of the night, which was just more evidence that they wished things could go back to how it had been before. She missed his embrace, his smooth hands running up her arms, the feel of his breath on her neck or his lips on hers. Their eyes would meet every once in a while and she'd feel her breath catch in her throat. She missed it all, but she still hadn't come to terms with his file and she wasn't sure he'd ever let her even if she wanted to.

They'd made a list of more names, relatives of the Death Eaters they'd arrested and so forth, but nothing had yet panned out. Late one night they were looking back over some of their earlier notes and Hermione stopped, "We never reached out to your friend Adrien," she said, "I think it's worth talking to him since he was Igor Karkaroff's son."

"Oh yeah," Draco nodded, "He was never into that stuff when I was at Durmstrang, but he still might know something from his father."

"Can you send an owl to him? Try to set something up soon?"

"Of course," Draco said, grabbing some fresh parchment and drafting a letter, "I'll have one of the owls fly out in the morning."

"Great," she smiled, "Glad we at least found someone we haven't talked to yet. Feels like something."

Draco didn't look quite as confident but tried to be positive, "Whatever makes you feel better."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

At the end of that next week, she walked into her office to see Alden sitting in the chair across from hers, waiting for her.

"Morning, Mr. Northcott," she greeted him, shutting the door.

"We've got some bad news, Granger," he said, "Words out that Draco Malfoy's been named as the leader. Everyone is calling for his imprisonment."

"Well that's crazy. There's still no evidence that he's involved," Hermione said incredulously.

"That's not entirely true," Alden looked at her warily, "He's been named by seven Death Eaters, and his own father admitted that something was hidden at the Manor that's missing now. It doesn't look good on Draco."

"Do people know what's missing?" Hermione asked.

"Of course not," Alden waived his hand, "All just speculation around that of course, but they know something was there and now it's not and with Draco's name on the list, that's not a helpful detail."

"We just need to buy some time," Hermione said.

"I'm not sure how much more we can buy," Alden told her truthfully, "I'm doing everything I can for you, Granger, but without another name, it's a hard fight."

"I understand," Hermione nodded.

"I'll need you to get a statement from Malfoy for the Prophet," he looked apologetic, "I know it won't be a fun conversation to have, but we'll try our best to give him a voice."

"Alright, I'll get one this afternoon," she said, "I'll go send an owl to the Manor,"

Alden stood up and walked out of the office with her, "Things are going to start getting tough without more information. We need something new and we need it yesterday."

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