Malfoy Manor Attacked by Quirinus Quirrell

The Daily Prophet brings devastating news this morning. Quirinus Quirrell, the ex-DADA Professor wanted for the recent murder of two students and a teacher at Hogwarts, brazenly attacked Malfoy Manor yesterday evening.

The dark wizard singlehandedly managed to overwhelm the wards around the Malfoy estate and proceeded to duel the entire Malfoy family in their home while they valiantly fought against his dark magic. The young heir, Draco Malfoy, was fortunately only stunned in the battle after he bravely attempted to aid his parents. His parents continued to fight for their lives, with the battle culminating in Quirrell's death, but not before he had killed Lady Malfoy with the killing curse.

The grieving Lord Malfoy was so shocked by the attack and the loss of his beloved wife that he did not contact the Ministry to report the incident until early this morning. We at the Daily Prophet offer our sincere condolences to the surviving Malfoys as we too grieve the loss of one of the greatest philanthropists of the last decade.

At Lord Malfoy's request, there will be no further reports on the attack as we give the Malfoys time to grieve the sudden loss of a loving wife and mother. We wish them all the best in this difficult time and will forever be grateful for the brave sacrifice that finally brought down the dark wizard. The very same wizard who just recently outduelled Professor Dumbledore in the infamous battle as he escaped Hogwarts.

Harry couldn't believe it. Draco must be devastated. He always spoke so highly of his parents. Losing his mother so suddenly… Harry handed the Daily Prophet back to Hannah and just stared blankly out the window of the Hogwarts Express. Hannah and Susan quietly continued their conversation but Harry tuned them out as he tried to process the news. He didn't know what he should do or what he should say when he saw Draco later at the feast. He couldn't quite believe that the regal, untouchable Lady Malfoy was suddenly just, gone...

Eventually he shook himself from his thoughts and showed Hannah and Susan how his panther was coming along. It was knee high with normal black fur rather than steel skin since he hadn't figured out how to keep both the steel and the proper sleek movements of a panther.

"I haven't figured out how to give him intelligence yet but I can make him do whatever I want if I point my wand at him and focus on what he needs to do. He's still a work in progress." The two girls had just gaped at him for a while before being interrupted by the compartment door unexpectedly opening. Harry quickly vanished the panther and looked up into the grey eyes of a clearly exhausted Draco Malfoy.

Draco spoke quietly, "Potter, a word in private?"

Hannah and Susan hastily offered to visit their other friends and offered their condolences on their way out. Draco just nodded and seemed to stare straight through them. He closed and locked the compartment door behind them, sat down and stared at the wall. Harry fidgeted in his seat for a while before Draco spoke again.

"It's a bit much to deal with. All the condolences. The looks of pity. Pathetic attempts at small talk and awkward silences. I just want them to leave me alone. I just want to fly. It's too much being surrounded by all these people, everyone wanting details that have nothing to do with them. All I remember is the screech of the wards as they came down. Father shouting. I was in my room when it started and I rushed to Father. Mother wasn't there when I got to him, she must have still been in her room. Quirrell apparated behind Father and disarmed him. I just stood there. I froze! He smirked at me and stunned me and that was it. When Father woke me again, mother was… And Quirrell. Father somehow killed Quirrell. I was so useless. If I hadn't frozen, maybe I could have caught Quirrell by surprise. Maybe mother would still be alive. Instead she's gone and it's my fault."

Draco finished offloading and cried softly, still staring at the wall. Harry just sat there, his mouth dry and his heart pounding in his chest.

After a while, Harry found his voice "I'm sorry, Draco. Nothing I can say will really help. I didn't know your mother, but I know that she wouldn't want you to blame yourself. If you had tried to attack Quirrell, I don't think it would have helped. We're only 12. Quirrell escaped Dumbledore and the other professors when he fought his way out of the school. He broke the wards at your estate before your family could escape. He was extremely powerful and experienced. We are still so young. Your dad must be extremely powerful to somehow kill Quirrell after being disarmed. His power is in your blood too. The only thing we can do now is practice. We can read ahead, train ourselves, work harder than everyone and make sure that one day we are powerful enough to prevent things like this from happening. We can train like crazy, and when we need a break we can thrash the Gryfindors on the Quidditch pitch."

Draco sat in silence for a while before finally looking at Harry.

"How do you do it, Harry? I've still got Father. You…"

Harry shrugged, "It's still hard sometimes, but I know they will be proud of me if I work as hard as I can and make sure I am better than everyone else. If I am more powerful, more successful. I am going to rebuild the Potter Empire. Get revenge on the goblins and the Ministry. I am going to make a name for myself. Then I will know that they are proud, that I'm important, then it won't matter than I am alone. I am going to rise above it all, Draco. We can do that together if you'd like?"

Draco smiled slightly, "Well go on then, show me how you made that oversized black cat."

Harry punched Draco's shoulder lightly, "He is not just a cat, he is a panther, and he's awesome!"

The two spent the rest of the train ride practicing magic together and wondering what it would be like to win the Quidditch cup. They avoided Pansy and the other Slytherins in the crowds at the train station and joined a group of third and fourth year Ravenclaws in the carriages. Professor Snape stopped them near the entrance hall and told Draco to wait for him in his office. Draco happily obliged, skipping the welcome feast and leaving Harry to enter the great hall on his own.

Harry nodded politely to the older Slytherins at the table already, but he was the first of the second year Slytherins so he found a seat and watched as witches and wizards poured into the great hall, happily reuniting with their friends and class mates. Harry had enjoyed his time with Draco, despite how awkward it was initially. He hoped that Draco would be okay, and he was glad to play some part in helping him find his feet again after this knock.

He was pulled from his thoughts as Daphne and Tracy slid into seats across from him. He smiled and politely asked about their holidays. They weren't friends but Harry hoped he could build relationships this year that he hadn't pursued previously. Daphne and Tracy were okay. He had never found them particularly interesting before but maybe he would if he genuinely tried to get to know them.

The feast dragged on a bit and Harry found the crowds and noise quite draining. He was glad to escape to the common room and then his own private room after watching the first year initiation. He wasn't quite sure about the merits of this kind of initiation just yet, but after seeing how arrogant some of the "worms" were, he did understand at least some of the need for someone to remind them that things would be different now that they weren't living in their manors and estates. He was certainly looking forward to watching the first year duelling tournament, it would be far better to watch than be put on the spot like that again. As he drifted off to sleep, he hoped this year would be full of Quidditch and magic, without the drama and disruption of the previous year. Three weeks later, the Daily Prophet published some more disturbing news, just as things were getting back to normal.

Unidentified dark wizard frees all convicted Death Eaters from Azkaban!