Disclaimer: Don't give me credit for the characters or setting. All I did was write the story.
A/N: I know some of you were confused about Lucius's disappearance and return, but hopefully, this Ch. will explain things a bit. Also, this will be my last Chapter. I do not know whether I will write a sequel or not.
Draco eyes slowly fluttered open. Something was draped across him. He looked down and saw Hermione, with one small hand placed on his chest and her head balanced on his arm. A look of surprise briefly passed across his face, before being replaced with an expression of caring. "Hermione," he whispered, "Wake up." He shook his arm gently letting her head fall onto the pillow. He let out a small chuckle when her eyes snapped open at the light impact. She mumbled an obscenity and sat up, her tangled hair flopping over one eye. Draco brushed it away and gently placed a small kiss on her forehead. He stuck his head out of the drapes, checking to make sure that no one else was there. "It's safe. You better get back to your common room before Crabbe and Goyle come back."
"I'll explain this later." Hermione said, before cautiously slipping out of his bed and tip-toeing through the open door.
She entered the common room and saw Harry and Ron carrying on a frantic discussion. They looked up when she entered. Hermione flinched, expecting a multitude of lectures and yells to come her way. Instead, she found herself wrapped in a sea of warmth with four arms tightened around her. "Hermione! We were so scared that something had happened!" Ron exclaimed.
"What about Draco? And me being a traitor?" She asked eyeing Harry warily.
"That doesn't matter anymore. As long as you're safe, you can do anything with Draco you want." Harry said, emphasizing his first name.
"Well, Harry, are you sure you want to tell her that she can do anything with Draco?" Ron asked, giving her a wicked smile.
"Ron!" Hermione yelled, slapping him on the arm. The three friends laughed together for the first time since Hermione had gone missing. Then, the trio walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast, arms linked together.
After breakfast, Hermione told Ron and Harry that she had to talk to Draco. Pansy was nowhere to be seen. She walked past the Slytherin table, winking as a small signal to get Draco to follow. When she was out of the Great Hall, Draco got up and went to her. He walked for a little way, looking for a trace of her, when a hand yanked him into an empty classroom. "It's me Draco," came Hermione's voice from behind him, where she was placing a silencing charm on the room. "When I show you this, Draco, don't run away. Remember that I'm right next to you." Out of the shadows in a corner of the room, stepped Lucius Malfoy. Draco's mouth dropped open. A fire filled his eyes, as if an intense hatred was trying to break through. Hermione instinctively grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly when she saw his expression. Draco stood stone still staring into his father's gray eyes.
"Draco, my son. "I want you to listen to my story without interruption. Listen and learn." Lucius demanded. Draco closed his mouth and clenched his jaw, trying his best not to strangle the man before him. "I did something wrong. I am sorry for the way I treated you. After becoming a death-eater it was my duty to become cold and unforgiving. I wanted to pass the same traditions onto you. When I realized that I was wrong about being one of Voldemort's followers, I remembered my mistake. I watched you, Draco. Watched you be cruel to everyone. Watched you be racist and prejudiced with pride clouding your mind. That was the worst that I ever had to observe. All of those times you were wreaking havoc, all I could think was that I had done this. I had made this destruction, not you. I beg your forgiveness. I don't expect you to accept my apology. After everything I have done, I don't even deserve to be in your presence." He cleared his throat several times to keep his voice from cracking. After his speech, he broke down completely. He threw himself at Draco's feet, a thing that Draco never thought he would see. A Malfoy bowing down to his own son.
"I do believe that there is more. I thought you were dead. What happened?" Draco asked, his voice still lacking any emotion.
Lucius slowly got up and looked Draco in the eyes again. "You remember how I had mastered the Imperius Curse? I placed it on a fellow death-eater. She drank the Polyjuice Potion that I had prepared. It transformed her so that she looked like me. You were right. I was in that circle of Death-eaters surrounding both of you. I knew Voldemort's plans and made my death-eater twin jump in front of you to her death. She was found and buried still looking like me." The hatred in Draco's eyes came back again. "I know what you're thinking, Draco. I let her die. I didn't sacrifice myself for you as you had thought. I know that you will never believe me when I say this, but it's true. I would have died for you Draco. I would have gone to hell and back again if only to let you breathe one last time. To see your love one last time," he said, glancing towards Hermione, "But I couldn't. It was impossible for me to die and have you think that I harbored the utmost loathing for you for the rest of your life. I couldn't let you live like that. Thinking that your father never once cared. When you were born, Draco, I tried to be emotionless. But I looked into your eyes, and saw that they were just like mine. Filled with a future malice and cruelty. That was the one time in your childhood, when I actually felt ashamed of who I had become. That is the story of why I am still alive, Draco. I am finished."
Draco hadn't moved at all, but Hermione did something that no one would have though possible. She ran up to Lucius and wrapped her arms around his neck. Then, Hermione gave him a quick peck on the cheek and backed up next to Draco again. Draco wanted to hate her for touching that filth, but he looked into her eyes and knew that he could never hate her. She just wanted Draco to forgive Lucius. She was trying to make everything alright again. But she would never understand. Nothing would ever be alright. She hadn't lived with that monster for seventeen years. Slowly, one tear after another escaped from Draco's eyes, but he didn't make a sound. "I forgive you, Lucius. Only because I'm not as cruel as you once were. Although I forgive you, I don't know if I will ever accept you as a father. My childhood was hell. While all of the other children were celebrating Christmas, our "family" was celebrating the murder of another muggle. You of all people should understand what hatred is." Draco declared.
"My son. You are better than I will ever be. I am eternally grateful for your forgiveness. As for not accepting me, I do not expect you to. And I promise you, that I will make Voldemort pay. I love you, Draco, my beautiful son." Lucius replied. Lucius pulled out an invisibility cloak and left through the door without a sound. When the door shut, Hermione flung herself on Draco, as he sobbed and slid to the floor. Seventeen years worth of tears splashed onto the floor as Draco's emotions came spilling out. Hermione caressed his face, sliding the back of her hand tenderly across his cheek and whispering words of comfort into his ear. After about fifteen minutes, "Draco, honey. If you don't stop crying we're going to drown in your tears," Hermione joked, in a desperate attempt to cheer him up. It made him smile, but deep down she knew that he wouldn't be perfectly happy again for a long time. She placed her hand over his heart and felt something hard. "Draco… she trailed off. He pulled it out and found the amulet. He had forgotten he even had it. "This is it! We're the two people; the enemy's sacrifice is the death-eater dying and the sacrifice of your father's loyalty to Voldemort! His reign will soon be through…"
"He's going to make him pay." Draco finished, looking at Hermione. He was worried about his father. She could tell. The next few months were hell for Draco. Worrying about his father, studying for his N.E.W.T.'s, and wondering where Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle had disappeared to. His wasn't worried about them. He was worried about what they were doing. Hermione's theory was that they had become death-eaters and weren't coming back. Draco supposed that could be true, but he wasn't sure.
One night in June, Dumbledore stood up in the middle of dinner in the Great Hall. "I have an announcement to make. My students, Voldemort's reign is over forever. He is dead and will never ever return." Dumbledore declared. No one breathed. Each student, including the Slytherins, was silent. In one sudden moment of realization, the Great Hall boomed like a million bombs had been detonated. Even half of the Slytherin table was cheering. There was crying, yelling, screaming, and applauding coming from all corners of the hall. Hermione and Draco were, of course, unbelievably happy, but they didn't join in. They looked at each other, each wondering if Draco's father was alright. Eventually, they got into the spirit and joined in the celebration. More food appeared on the tables, even more delectable than before if that was even possible. After dinner, Hermione and Draco approached Dumbledore. "Professor Dumbledore," Hermione started, "Do you know who defeated Voldemort?"
"It is unknown exactly who it was, Miss Granger. All we know is that an anonymous person led a group of people in a fight against Voldemort. Many died. We're in the process of figuring out who lived and who didn't. As you can see, this is a happy, and yet tragic ordeal in many ways, Miss Granger." Dumbledore answered.
"Yes, professor." She replied. She and Draco left the Great Hall both praying for the same person. Draco's father.
A week later, it was graduation time. They had all completed their N.E.W.T.'s, each student receiving high marks, but none more than Hermione, Draco, Harry, and Ron who had helped each other study. Both Hermione and Draco were chosen to speak at their graduation. Draco and Hermione were practicing their speeches in front of each other, next to the lake. During their break, they sat staring at the cool water, as Draco had done many months before when he found the amulet. "It helped the world in more ways than one." Draco said, fingering the amulet that Draco held. Draco, then Hermione, kissed the amulet and Draco threw as far as he could into the very heart of the lake. "There The Serpent Prophecy will rest, until destiny makes another appearance." Draco said, calling the prophetical amulet what Hermione had decided to name it only a week before. Hermione wrapped an arm around Draco, and they watched the spot where the amulet was thrown until the giant squid surfaced, disturbing the calm atmosphere.
That same night, every student was standing on risers in the Great Hall, preparing to go into the world. After Hermione's speech, a loud sob rang out, confirming that Hermione's parents had indeed come. Next, it was Draco's turn. He walked forward and began his speech, with his voice magically magnified.
"I can assure you, that this speech will not be long, but most certainly full of meaning. This year has been the most unusual for me from any other year here at Hogwarts. It was tragic, happy, and surprising all at once. I fell in love," He said glancing at Hermione who blushed, "I encountered many dangerous obstacles, and a ghost from my past showed up once again. No amount of studying would have prepared me for this year, and that is what growing up is all about. Knowing the difference between things that you should change and things that are impossible to alter. Both of these matters revealed themselves to me in this year, and I am thankful that I learned this lesson now and not after I had gone into the world. I know that these young witches and wizards, including myself, will do great things once they become independent and enter the world. I congratulate each and every one of you. Thank you."
After stepping down, for a moment, no one applauded. They had never seen thankfulness or emotion from a Malfoy. Two pairs of hands broke the silence as he went back to take his place in the group of students. Hermione, who was grinning at him, and another person in the audience, were clapping. Draco peered into the sea of friends and family. His eyes locked with a pair identical to his own. "Father," Draco breathed. He surprised himself by calling Lucius that, but at that moment he didn't care. His father was watching him graduate, as it always should have been. His father was one of the many caring parents observing their children become adults. A grin broke across Draco's face and slowly the rest of the Great Hall followed suit, clapping loudly.
When graduation ended, Draco came with Hermione to meet her parents. After measuring him up, they decided that he was deserving enough to be with their daughter. As Draco was talking to the Grangers, he looked over their heads into a pair of stormy gray eyes. "Excuse me for a moment," he told them. He walked up to where his father was standing with his mother. Neither Draco nor Lucius spoke for what seemed like an hour. Then, Draco made the first move. He stepped forward and flung his arms around his father, crying into his shoulder. Lucius returned the hug, also crying gratefully. "I love you so much, Draco, my son." Lucius told him, kissing the top of his son's head.
"I love you too, father."
A/N: THE END! I really hope that you all enjoyed it. And thank you an unbelievable amount to Rebecca, Angel Of Music, Demon Wolf, Draco's one and only, $!@$ (PrancingElf14@yahoo.com), Luce (sound chic), Jen Drake, and ALL OF MY OTHER REVIEWERS! (Those were just the most recent reviewers.) I wouldn't have had the inspiration and motivation to write this story without you all!!!