AN: This is last part. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed.

Tale of the Great Ferret, Part One



Malfoy's Heir

Chapter 11

Aftermath

When Draco woke up he wasn't sure what had happened and where he was. First thing he felt was pain. The light hurt his eyes and his whole body ached. He closed his eyes and hoped he could fall back to sleep. But someone had noticed his waking and didn't let him fall back to unconsciousness.

"Mr. Malfoy, can you hear me?  Mr. Malfoy!"

Draco gave up and opened his eyes again. He could see Madame Pomfrey's concerned face. Oh, this probably means that I'm still alive, he thought.

"That's a good boy." Madame Pomfrey beamed. "Do you think that you could drink a little?"

Without waiting his answer she left him and soon came back with a vial. Draco drank obediently and Madame Pomfrey rewarded him with a smile.

"I will tell Professors Dumbledore and Snape that you are awake. They surely want to talk to you."

Madame Pomfrey left and Draco studied his surroundings. He was in the Hogwarts infirmary, sun shined through the window and infirmary seemed quite peaceful if also quite full. There was someone in almost every bed and to him it seemed that there were more beds than at his schooldays. Everything indicated that the Light Side had won the battle. Before Draco could study more about his surroundings, two men walked in.

"Good Morning, Mr Malfoy! It is so nice to see you awake again. We almost lost you." Dumbledore smiled.

"How are you feeling, Draco?" Snape asked. "Are you in much pain?"

"I… Oh... I" Draco tried to talk but his voice didn't want to obey.

"It's okay, take it slowly." Older man advised. "Everything is just alright."

"So the Light side evidently won?" Draco managed to ask his voice hoarse.

"Yes. Yes indeed. Harry killed Voldemort and Aurors took care of the rest." Dumbledore told. "Also you and Miss Abbot are celebrated heroes now. Luna Lovegood unfortunately didn't make it."

"Humph! Somehow I doubt that." Draco scowled "On the other hand I'm here and not in Azkaban so maybe they think me as a hero but I have my doubts it goes any longer than that."

"Don't worry, Mr Malfoy. Everything will be okay. I won't let them throw you to the wolves." Dumbledore assured.

"Well, wolves are not the ministries choice of punishment this time. Maybe we should be more worried about our heads." Snape muttered.

"Okay, please tell me everything! What has happened?" Draco hastened.

The story wasn't pretty. The Light had won and after celebration the Ministry had decided that something like this would happen never again. New Minister of Magic Amos Diggory had decided to take drastic actions to ensure that and the public opinion supported him wholly. Dumbledore had put all his weight to protect his Slytherin underlings. Nowadays it was almost a crime to be pure blooded aristocrat and especially pure blooded Slytherin aristocrat.  

Dumbledore had gone lengths to protect his Slytherin underlings and Draco, Professor Snape and some other Slytherins who had chosen the Light side were declared innocent. That meant that they were free and their property would remain untouched. It had taken lot of work from Dumbledore to convince the Ministry that they should not confiscate the Malfoy fortune.

Everyone else was 'fair game'. Almost all Death Eaters were in custody but also hundreds of their family members and other old aristocrats and Slytherin families had been arrested. First trials were also over and almost all Death Eaters had gotten their sentences. Also two first big trials against their family members were over and verdicts were harsh. Ministries choice of punishment was death sentence via decapitation. 

Now when Lucius Malfoy was dead and his son off limits, Ministry had chosen Narcissa Malfoy to the one of their main targets and she was sentenced among the first to the public beheading. Also many other Death Eaters' wives got same verdict.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Draco stood alone little further away from the crowd that had come to observe the first executions to the Hogsmeade. His mother was going to be one of the first beheaded wizards and witches in two hundred years. People who had gathered to witness all this were little nervous but excited and eager to the retaliation. Draco had wanted to come and see how his mother would end her life. During the last few years Narcissa had understood very little what was going on around her and Draco hoped that she wouldn't understand too much nowadays.

The crowd glanced at Draco quite distrustful and hostile way. Draco stood in place and pretended that he didn't even notice hostility. He looked just as arrogant as ever and his face was totally blank from any other feelings. This roused fear and more resentment in crowd and some began to swear to him and spit towards him.

After first convicts were brought to the execution stage crowd's interest passed to them and Draco could stand in peace. Executions started and crowd started to yell insult to prisoners. Almost all convicts were blank faced and kept their head high till the end. They didn't struggle or cry. It was obvious that many of them had decided that they could be killed but they would not be humiliated.

Also Narcissa Malfoy rose to the stage walking with her usual grace and confidence. Her face was calm but there was little astray in her eyes. That hurt Draco deeply. Still she conducted herself like a true lady till the end.

When everything was over and people had left Draco still stood by himself grieving his mother and thought what would be his fate in this changed world.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Two weeks later executions were over. Almost 500 wizard and witch had been killed. Youngest were barely out of the school and oldest couldn't rise to the stage on their own but had to be carried. Draco had stood in the same spot and watched every single execution. It was his way to say goodbye to his family, friends and world he had born in. He had witnessed deaths of many family friends, acquaintances and old school friends and classmates.

Even if Malfoy fortune was escaped confiscating, the newer Malfoy Manor was thoroughly searched for any illegal articles. When Draco visited his home manor after Aurors had searched it he noticed that even Malfoy's ancient and very expensive silverware was evidently very dangerous dark object because it had completely vanished. He could only hope that who ever had needed silvers with Malfoy crest would cut his finger with them.

It had taken long battle with the Ministry before he had got permission to take his parents' bodies home for burial. Most executed had been buried to the large mass grave but Draco wanted to get bodies to the Malfoy Castle for funeral pyre and then throw ashes to the sea winds to take as was custom in the Malfoy family.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Headmaster Dumbledore looked around him enquiringly. This was first time he ever had put his foot to the Malfoy Castle, family's ancient stronghold. Long time ago visitors had been common in the Castle, but lately family had favoured newer Malfoy Manor in the Wiltshire and no visitors had been invited to the mysterious old Castle.

Even after Dark Side's fall the new Lord of Malfoy and the little brat extraordinary, Draco Malfoy, hadn't let Aurors to raid the Castle. It had caused many quarrels and Dumbledore had been busy preventing the squabble to grow anything more serious. Old headmaster sighed and tried to adjust to the fact that it would take a lot of work from him in the future to keep his troublesome spy out of troubles. In fact it held true concerning both of his most important spies, he thought glancing quickly to his Potions Master. Why on earth Slytherins had to be so difficult bunch all the time?

* * * * * * * * * * *

The island where the Malfoy Castle lay was quite bare. Almost nothing grew there and grey Castle walls merged well to the rocks surrounding it. Somehow this austereness befitted the ancient family that had lived here several centuries. Dumbledore noticed on peculiar shaped rock in the islands northernmost corner. Draco was obviously going just there levitating his parents' bodies. He put their bodies onto the large flat stone in front of the strange rock and accioed some wood, which he carefully arrange round their dead bodies for the funeral pyre. After that he almost tenderly touched both of theirs foreheads and closed his eyes for a second. After that he put pyre to the fire.

Three men stood and watched than some of the last peaces of one kind of world and way of living burned to ashes. There were some whooper swans near the island and they swam near shore as to watch the pyre. Draco watched the birds which would soon depart these wintering sites and aim to the north for the summer and the nesting. He smiled sadly and glanced to the other two men who had come with him to bury his parents.

"Did you know that there is a whooper in our coat of arms?" He said. "Most people probably think that it would be a dragon or a basilisk or even a fox, but no. Our symbol has always been a swan. Old times we were known for our artistic talents. We were musicians, artists and poets. But everything changed. It wasn't that we left arts altogether. Every Malfoy child was still thoroughly taught in arts but time changed and required warlords and politicians not artists. Malfoys changed with it. We didn't want to leave top even if it meant we had to change. I'm not sure, if it was the right decision."

Older men didn't answer; there was really nothing to say.

When Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy had turned to ash, Draco gathered it and put small amount of ash to the foot of strange rock Dumbledore understood had to be the Seita and threw rest for the sea winds to take.

* * * * * * * * * * *

They had checked old Castle for any surprises and Draco had finally told them his plans for the future. After they would leave the island Draco would go to the muggle airport, get on the plane and travel to USA there he would start his schooling in the muggle college next autumn. Professors Dumbledore and Snape were dumbstruck. Draco Malfoy was the last person they had anticipated to defect to the muggle world. But Draco explained to them that there really was nothing left from the world he had belonged to. Even as a hero, his life would be difficult in the wizarding world because of his last name. Of course he could leave England but it wouldn't help so much. Malfoys had been well-known all over the wizarding world.

Of course he didn't know much about muggles but he had learned something about their economics from his tutor. After all, Malfoys had some large investments also in the muggle economy. He would have whole summer time to get used to the muggle world and he had already read all the books the muggle studies professor used in his curses in the Hogwarts. Draco also believed that most of his mistakes would be misinterpreted to the cultural differences between America and Europe therefore he had chosen USA.

He had no intentions to ever come back and he hoped that no one would find him. He had arranged Malfoy's businesses so that his lawyers could take care of them and he had closed down both the Castle and the New Manor. To Snape he gave the part of the old family heirloom necklace which would allow him to find Draco if it would be absolutely needed in some time but otherwise he emphasized that he wanted to start whole new life and leave everything old behind him. After all, it wasn't the first time Malfoys had done that. First they had left their northern home in the ancient times and later France where they had lived long before coming to Britain about a thousand years earlier. Maybe it was time for the new change of scenery.

When the last Malfoy Lord left his ancient home island rose a flock of swans to fly and flew over the leaving men on their trip to the north for their nesting places. They whooped as they left as for goodbye and also young Malfoy Lord turned to look his ancestors now abandoned stronghold last time. He wasn't sure if the Castle and Seita looked him with the accusation, pity or with encouragement.