TITLE: Coming Down – The Tie Up
RATING: PG - 13
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, if I did I'm sure I'd be richer
Authors note: Kind of an emotional little spiel to tie up loose ends.
~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~
Draco walked into his empty apartment. He stiffly shrugged out of his heavy robs and hung them up neatly in a cupboard. Aurors training was hard work and Mad-Eye was a tough teacher.
There wasn't too much to his apartment at the moment. It was filled with classic black furniture and a few scattered boxes. Some of the stuff was what he had managed to steal from the Manor, but most of it was donated from various parties. Despite it's currently messy nature it still had his style and good taste.
He had a place to call his own now. Didn't matter that only a few people new where it was. Actually the fewer the better, according to a clumsy but pretty little Aurora named Tonks. The price on his head was worth the Malfoy Manor.
Draco was sure he could get used to his new life. So what if he had to wash his own clothes? So what if his robes weren't brand new? So what if he had to cook his own food? At least he wasn't dead.
Draco slumped on his couch. His life was harder now, but it was worth it. He didn't think he was a coward anymore, and none of the people around him did either. He'd made his choice, the right choice. The hard one. He didn't have a family now; his parents had made that clear with the first 3 attempts on his life since the incident at the Manor.
Draco didn't mind as much as he thought he would. His parents didn't really love him; just watching Molly Weasley with her children made him realise that. She'd even offered to let Draco live at the Burrow, much to Ron's revulsion. And he couldn't bring himself to get rid of a bizarre coloured blanket she'd knitted him despite it not fitting in with his décor.
People had taken his conversion in different ways. Dumbledore had grinned and offered him a lemon drop. Seamus Finnigan had laughed, and didn't stop for at least an hour. Neville Longbottom had punched him the first day he walked into the Ministry of Magic, screaming that a Death Eater must have escaped the guards.
A lot of people still didn't trust him, but Harry did. He smiled. Harry Potter, his arch nemesis, who had walked up to Cornelius Fudge and told him quite plainly that Draco was now fighting on there side and that if he didn't accept it Harry was withdrawing his support from Fudge's leadership. *If someone had told me that two years ago, I would have hexed them.*
Harry Potter, his arch nemesis, who somehow managed to cheer Draco up when he went into a faze of depression. Harry who understood that if you let it, the darkness could consume you. Some days where worse than others, where Draco would yell and scream to just be left alone in a cave somewhere for the rest of his days. Everyone else would run for the hills, not Harry though. Harry always just smirked at him, "If I'm persistent enough to keep living despite all the attempts on my life, then I'm sure as hell not going to leave you alone just because you say so."
Ron had been one of the hardest people to win over, but despite his behavior towards him, Draco knew Ron trusted him. It had been difficult at first; Draco'd taken one hell of a beating when Ron had found out who was responsible for what had happened to his Hermione. That was until Hermione intervened, and refused to sleep with him again until he apologized. Since then, Draco and Ron had come to an understanding; they'd never be friends, but they trusted each other with their lives.
Hermione had been was one of Draco's most avid supporters. She held no grudges, and though he knew she endured Merlin knows how many nightmares because of what he did to her, she still stuck by him. Some days he just wanted to turn and run when he saw her, he couldn't stand the guilt. It was without a doubt the worst thing he had ever done and it killed him with shame when Hermione would smile at him or laugh at something he said. He didn't understand why she could just forgive him, after everything. He'd asked her why once, and she'd replied in that annoying, superior, know-it-all voice, "Because you deserve to be forgiven, you prat." Like that was everything he needed to know.
It was a little unnerving to have someone believe in him so completely. He'd been brought up in a household of lies and deceit, one where he had to play mind games to get what he wanted. To have people be his friends without ulterior moments was intimidating, and at his most paranoid moments he'd be wondering why Harry gave him the rest of his dessert. *Well considering how much he eats, that was a fair suspicion*
Draco slumped onto his couch and kicked off his shoes. He knew the day would come where he would have to face his mother and father again. Things were heating up and a confrontation was coming, in the finale battle sense. At least Draco was happy about which side he stood on. He knew even if he didn't make it, like many of them wouldn't, he would have succeeded. Because he had chosen his own path, finally, and he had chosen right. Draco grinned lazily. *Merlin I'm a self-righteous git*
~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks to everyone for your reviews and support, and of course Suzie, my lovely lovely beta. Whom without their would be spelling and grammer mistakes galore (you only have to have read the earlier chapters before there were changes made to realise that)
RATING: PG - 13
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, if I did I'm sure I'd be richer
Authors note: Kind of an emotional little spiel to tie up loose ends.
~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~
Draco walked into his empty apartment. He stiffly shrugged out of his heavy robs and hung them up neatly in a cupboard. Aurors training was hard work and Mad-Eye was a tough teacher.
There wasn't too much to his apartment at the moment. It was filled with classic black furniture and a few scattered boxes. Some of the stuff was what he had managed to steal from the Manor, but most of it was donated from various parties. Despite it's currently messy nature it still had his style and good taste.
He had a place to call his own now. Didn't matter that only a few people new where it was. Actually the fewer the better, according to a clumsy but pretty little Aurora named Tonks. The price on his head was worth the Malfoy Manor.
Draco was sure he could get used to his new life. So what if he had to wash his own clothes? So what if his robes weren't brand new? So what if he had to cook his own food? At least he wasn't dead.
Draco slumped on his couch. His life was harder now, but it was worth it. He didn't think he was a coward anymore, and none of the people around him did either. He'd made his choice, the right choice. The hard one. He didn't have a family now; his parents had made that clear with the first 3 attempts on his life since the incident at the Manor.
Draco didn't mind as much as he thought he would. His parents didn't really love him; just watching Molly Weasley with her children made him realise that. She'd even offered to let Draco live at the Burrow, much to Ron's revulsion. And he couldn't bring himself to get rid of a bizarre coloured blanket she'd knitted him despite it not fitting in with his décor.
People had taken his conversion in different ways. Dumbledore had grinned and offered him a lemon drop. Seamus Finnigan had laughed, and didn't stop for at least an hour. Neville Longbottom had punched him the first day he walked into the Ministry of Magic, screaming that a Death Eater must have escaped the guards.
A lot of people still didn't trust him, but Harry did. He smiled. Harry Potter, his arch nemesis, who had walked up to Cornelius Fudge and told him quite plainly that Draco was now fighting on there side and that if he didn't accept it Harry was withdrawing his support from Fudge's leadership. *If someone had told me that two years ago, I would have hexed them.*
Harry Potter, his arch nemesis, who somehow managed to cheer Draco up when he went into a faze of depression. Harry who understood that if you let it, the darkness could consume you. Some days where worse than others, where Draco would yell and scream to just be left alone in a cave somewhere for the rest of his days. Everyone else would run for the hills, not Harry though. Harry always just smirked at him, "If I'm persistent enough to keep living despite all the attempts on my life, then I'm sure as hell not going to leave you alone just because you say so."
Ron had been one of the hardest people to win over, but despite his behavior towards him, Draco knew Ron trusted him. It had been difficult at first; Draco'd taken one hell of a beating when Ron had found out who was responsible for what had happened to his Hermione. That was until Hermione intervened, and refused to sleep with him again until he apologized. Since then, Draco and Ron had come to an understanding; they'd never be friends, but they trusted each other with their lives.
Hermione had been was one of Draco's most avid supporters. She held no grudges, and though he knew she endured Merlin knows how many nightmares because of what he did to her, she still stuck by him. Some days he just wanted to turn and run when he saw her, he couldn't stand the guilt. It was without a doubt the worst thing he had ever done and it killed him with shame when Hermione would smile at him or laugh at something he said. He didn't understand why she could just forgive him, after everything. He'd asked her why once, and she'd replied in that annoying, superior, know-it-all voice, "Because you deserve to be forgiven, you prat." Like that was everything he needed to know.
It was a little unnerving to have someone believe in him so completely. He'd been brought up in a household of lies and deceit, one where he had to play mind games to get what he wanted. To have people be his friends without ulterior moments was intimidating, and at his most paranoid moments he'd be wondering why Harry gave him the rest of his dessert. *Well considering how much he eats, that was a fair suspicion*
Draco slumped onto his couch and kicked off his shoes. He knew the day would come where he would have to face his mother and father again. Things were heating up and a confrontation was coming, in the finale battle sense. At least Draco was happy about which side he stood on. He knew even if he didn't make it, like many of them wouldn't, he would have succeeded. Because he had chosen his own path, finally, and he had chosen right. Draco grinned lazily. *Merlin I'm a self-righteous git*
~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks to everyone for your reviews and support, and of course Suzie, my lovely lovely beta. Whom without their would be spelling and grammer mistakes galore (you only have to have read the earlier chapters before there were changes made to realise that)