Chapter 2 - Explanations
Draco Malfoy found himself in the cold office that once belonged to Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard who ever lived, as he now realized. Behind the big oak desk sat Professor McGonagall, her wire rimmed glasses at the end of her nose as she finished writing a letter with a flourish, sealed her envelope and tied the note to her awaiting owl, not so much as acknowledging his presense. Once the owl was out the window and out of sight she turned and looked at Malfoy, with a hint of caution in her stance, her wand was loosly held in her hand, but she could be ready in an instant to fight if she needed to.
"Mr. Malfoy" she began. "Please, do explain what happened tonight." and she sat herself behind her desk, he eyes never leaving him, not for a second.
"Professor, i didnt do it, i tried to stop them, she wouldent listen to me" all of the nights events confomed into one as the nights weight fell down on his shoulders all at once. He needed to talk to Hermione, he needed to let him tell her the truth.
"Mr. Malfoy, we know you didnt kill Mr. and Mrs. Granger." said Professor McGonagall in a steady tone, seeing the puzzled look on his face she continued. "We tested your wand Mr. Malfoy and have descovered only defensive spells to have come from it tonight, and for that we are all very aware of your inoccence in these murders, but Draco, you were with the death eaters at the Grangers." Draco nodded his head. "Explain why you were there, Mr. Malfoy"
Draco felt his shame swimming on his face and for once he didnt care. "They wanted me to proove myself, proove i could..kill." He choked out the last word, it sinking into himself just how terrible he had become. Professor McGonagall said nothing, waiting for him to continue. "After last summer, I had to convince...Him...that i woudlent let him down again. I watched...I saw him...he made me watch while he - he killed my mother." The words stung his heart but he knew that he had to continue his story. "For awhile i was held and punished, i thought i was going to die, but then i was told i had a chance to make it up to him, i had a chance to make it ok. They told me they were random muggles, that no one would miss them and it wouldent matter to anyone if they died. They took me to the Grangers, and told me to make them suffer. I tried to but i couldent, they didn't do anything to me, i couldent hurt them." Draco felt tears slide down his cheeks as his story went on. "They said if i didnt do it than they would, they bound me and made me watch them crutio then, then kill them. Then they left me and told me that next time it was going to be me." Draco wiped his face with his sleeve. "I should have done more to stop them, i didnt, i didnt realize what was really happening until it was too late, just like with Dumbledore."
McGonagall put down her wand and stepped over to Draco, putting her arm around him as he let out his tears and sobs like he had never done before. No one, not even his parents had ever let him get things off his chest. He had spent his life in a cold home with no love or affection. His parents hadent loved him like he needed them to, but at the end he had turned out to be just like them. His heart sank when he thought of how Hermione felt, she loved her parents and they loved her. It was too much to handle, he was too tired to deal with everything. "Professor McGonagal, Im sorry"
"I know dear i know, lets put you in bed, we can discuss this, and anything else, in the morning" she led him to the door and down to the dungeons where the slytherin house dormitorys were. She reached into her pocket for something "Mr. Malfoy, before you go to bed, i have something to give you." She handed him a golden pin. "I dont think weve ever had anyone deserve it as much as you have, it takes real courage to stand up and accept that maybe the way youve lived was wrong, i think you would do well to help encourage your fellow slytharins to do the same, and i think you could teach the other houses alot about acceptance and understanding." Draco turned the pin around in his hands, Head boy. After all that had happened, they wanted him to be Head boy.
"I dont deserve this Professor, it was my fault what happened last year, no one knew what i was doing. I did it all by myself." He stopped as Professor McGonagall put her hand up.
"Dumbledore knew Draco, he wanted you to have this anyway. And you get a private room this year"
Draco tried to thank her but nothing came out but a grunt. It was late, almost morning, and he was tired. She led him into the room where she left him, and she no sooner closed the door than he was asleep. Screams and flashes of her eyes filled his nightmares.
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back to the present
Hermione pulled up to Hogwarts and was met at the stairs by Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout. They greeted her warmly but to Hermione warm wasent a feeling anymore. She let them hug her but didnt dare hug them back, nore did she change her face, which was blank and pale. They led her up the towers and to the Gryffindor towers, all the while talking to her about how brave she was and that she would be safe in the castle. She barely heard a word of it, it was going in one ear and out the other as she walked up the stairs she knew so well. Through the trap door and up the Girls dormitory stairs they stopped at an unfamilliar door which made her come back into reality.
"Now Hermione, this has nothing to do with this past week, and everything to do with the past 6 years, you have made us all so proud." McGonagall handed Hermionee a pin with the the words Head Girl written on it in script. She stared down at it like it was nothing important, even tho deep down she knew she had been living and working so hard to get it her whole life. Now it seemed so silly, such a waste of time.
The teachers led her into a room with no other beds. Hermione had so longed to get the private room that only the Head girl or boy get her whole school career, a quite place for her to sleep and study in peace, but now she just wanted to be home with her parents, with her friends, anywhere but alone in a cold room at the top of a tower.
"Theres one more thing Miss Granger" McGonagall said, with a slight waver in her voice. "Your not the only student here for the remainder or the summer, I know youve been explained what happened and i know you are still hurt, but for your safety and his, Mr. Malfoy will be sharing the grounds with you."
Hermionees eyes widened as she remember his form over the bodies of her parents. No matter what anyone said, she knew it was all his fault. Maybe he didnt deliver the blow up if it werent for him they woudlent have went out to kill anyone that night. If it werent for him maybe her parents would still be here. She didnt know what to think or do, she just nodded and sat on the bed of her new room. Several miniutes of silence passed until the teachers let themselves out of her room and she was alone to dwell on all that occurred. Since the murder she had been living with muggle family under the pretense that her parents had been in an automobile accident, all the while being guarded by the order. All she wanted to do was to contact her friends, but Harry was nowhere to be found, and Ron had gone with him. She knew now why he had been relucted to get close to her. He didnt want to hurt her. 'So much of that now.' she thought, angry at being left alone to deal with it all by herself. She had been contacted by Mrs. Weasly, but didnt want to be smothered with food and household activities to pass the time. She wanted to sit in quiet and contemplate it all, she just didnt want to sit in the dark by herself.
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Draco sat on his bed and read the 7th year books that had been provided for him. He had just been informed that Hermione had arrived, and that he should try and be quiet and respectful, and stay in his room. He knew they were keeping an eye on him, making sure he didnt go and hurt her. No matter how much they knew they didnt trust him 100 and probably never would. He didnt trust himself that much and so he did what he was asked and decided to pass the time reading and preparing for classes. What he didnt expect was a knock on his door.