Congratulations, you're reading a month of erratic work. Trust me, this took me ages to write, and I have no idea why.


To say that Malfoy was slightly apprehensive the next morning would have been rather an understatement. Having been excused from the day's lessons and told to be at the Entrance Hall for eleven o'clock, he got up later than usual and spent a long time washing. His appearance was one of the few things he had left that he could be proud of, and he'd be damned if he let himself slip on an official occasion such as this, even if he was being reprimanded.

Gazing at himself in the mirror, he suppressed a wince as he caught sight of his naked upper body. Scars criss-crossing over his chest, some white, some pink, from the hours of abuse that he had suffered over the summer. Ribs standing out in sharp relief on his chest, the flesh around them weak and pathetic.

The mangled lump of his left forearm. His lasting reminder of his life.

He bent and rummaged under the sink for the gauze hidden at the back, straightening up stiffly, his spine cracking in about five places. Setting his wand down on the edge of the sink, he slowly wrapped the gauze around his arm to stem the gradual seeping of blood. Securing it with a Muggle pin, he grabbed his official robes and pulled them on, covering the arm.

Taking a good look at himself in the full-length mirror on the far wall, he couldn't help the small smile that crept onto his lips. Sure, he was technically no longer a Malfoy, but some things really did never change.


"This way, Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore said shortly, marching down the Entrance Hall steps as Malfoy came up from the dungeons. He jogged to keep up with the surprisingly fast-moving old man ash he strode down towards the Forest.

"Where are we going, sir?" he asked as they made their way over the grass.

"To the Hearing, of course."

"But, how are we getting there?" he queried, puzzled as to why they were headed to the Forest. Dumbledore sighed.

"Since you have indeed seen Death, I believe that the best mode of transport would therefore be Thestrals. Have you flown one before?"

"No." Malfoy answered honestly, though he had to admit that he was intrigued. When Hagrid had mentioned them in Care Of Magical Creatures, he had been intensely curious – the trip up to school therefore this September had been rather enlightening. "But I have seen them, and Hagrid told us about them."

"Professor Hagrid."

"Sorry sir." He apologised automatically as they entered the Forest and walked through to a clearing, where Dumbledore quickly conjured a rabbit. Malfoy watched in disgust as the Headmaster then proceeded to cut it open with a knife and disperse the blood around the clearing. However, it seemed to work, as the Thestrals approached with a haunting grace, white eyes staring at him disconcertingly. He touched the silken mane of one, and it huffed in his ear.

"Climb on, Mister Malfoy."

Doping as he was told, he took hold of the base of one of its wings and hoisted himself up onto its broad back with the elegance of an experienced rider. He bent his head to the Thestral's ear, feeling the powerful muscles shifting beneath him.

"Ministry of Magic, Visitor's Entrance."


Malfoy stepped into the room. It was high and circular, as were most of the courtrooms, and the wizards and witches sitting the case lined the walls. There was a seat in the centre of the room, which Malfoy was motioned to sit in. He did, and looked up at the judge who was sitting.

"Draco Malfoy has been submitted to the following charge: that he did, with full intent of harm and malice, threaten a teacher of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Interrogators: Cornelius Fudge, Albus Dumbledore. Defence: none." said the bailiff, a short wizard in deep red robes. Malfoy turned his attention to Fudge, who was sneering down his nose at the boy.

"Well, Mr. Malfoy, it seems you've got yourself in a bit of a pickle. He purpose of this hearing is to determine whether or not your actions were justified – which I doubt they were.

"Now, let's start from the beginning. You were in a lesson, weren't you?"

"Yes, Defence Against The Dark Arts."

"And Professor Maude had you practising the Patronus Charm?"

"Yes."

"Did you produce a Patronus?"

"Yes."

"Show us."

There was disconcerted muttering throughout the courtroom.

"Are you sure that's wise, sir?" asked someone to the right of Fudge. The Minister waved his hand irritably and nodded.

"Of course."

Malfoy took his wand from his pocket and spoke the incantation quietly but firmly. His phoenix exploded from the end in a blinding bright light and soared up above the heads of the wizards and witches. Dumbledore watched the bird with interest as it faded, leaving astonished faces in its wake.

"Impressive. Might I ask when you first learnt the charm?" Dumbledore asked.

"I first managed to produce a fully-fledged Patronus when I was seven." Malfoy replied tartly.

"Right, let's get on with it then," Fudge said impatiently. "Mr. Malfoy, when you were practising, Professor Maude had you go into a separate room in a pair to fight off a pretend Dementor. Now, my understanding is that you went in with Harry Potter. Five minutes later you carried him out claiming there were twenty Dementors in the room. You then proceeded to threaten Professor Maude, and would have probably injured her had one of your fellow students not stopped you. Is this correct?"

"Yes, but -"

"You are admitting to that which I just outlined?"

"Yes, but -"

"And are you willing to accept punishment for your actions?"

"Listen to me!" Malfoy's voice rang out in the courtroom, and silence fell. "When Potter and I went into that room we were under the impression that there was only one Dementor. But Maude didn't tell us they were Imagoes. They noticed Potter's and my weakness and exploited it. They affect us more than most people and were taking advantage of it. If I hadn't got us out of there we would have been seriously injured. So yes, I threatened her. And I feel no remorse for what I did. She doesn't deserve to teach, and I'll be damned if I let her let away with what she did to Potter."

"Why do you say that they affect you and Mr. Potter more?" Dumbledore asked sharply. Malfoy turned to him.

"Because both of us have witnessed things others could not even dream of." he said coldly. "I don't particularly want to discuss that topic with you."

"Whether we discuss it or not will be our decision, Malfoy, not yours."

"Fine then," Malfoy said furiously. "Potter hears the screams of his parents as the Dark Lord killed them, and Black dying. I am forced to relive the events over the summer – and the rest of my life."

"And what happened this summer that you are so scared of?"

Fury boiled up within Malfoy, and he no longer cared about the consequences of his actions. He wrenched the sleeve of his robes up and ripped off the gauze to reveal his left forearm. Several audible gasps came from various people, Fudge swore, and Dumbledore leaned forwards suddenly.

"The Dark Mark?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"Yes, the Mark," Malfoy replied irritably. "It was forced upon me at the end of July. But, as you can see, I cut it out. I didn't have any healing potions with me, so it's still a mess. It starts coming back after a month, but I just have to cut it out again. It's like a tumour; it has roots. It's not going away, but at least I'm not at the Dark Lord's beck and whim."

"Very well. Now, as far as I know, you have no witnesses -"

"Well you don't know," said a voice from behind Malfoy. He smiled inwardly, instantly recognising the voice. "I'm a witness."

"Mr. Potter. How kind of you to grace us with your presence." Fudge said stiffly.

"My pleasure." Potter replied, his voice laden with sarcasm.

"Please, have a seat," Dumbledore said, his voice oddly apprehensive. Malfoy scowled as he conjured a chair for Potter.

"Potter, please give an accurate account of what happened, in your own words." Fudge snapped.

"We were practising Patronus charms. Those of us who managed it were taken to a separate chamber, and split into pairs. I was with Malfoy. We then took turns in going into another chamber with a fake Dementor in it. Malfoy and I were last; the others were all fine when they came out. When we went in it was pitch black and we could both feel the Dementors. There was quite a few, and I started to feel the effects. Just before I blacked out, Malfoy cast an extremely powerful Patronus and by the light of it I saw at least twenty Dementors. Then I lost consciousness, and woke up in the other room with Ron and Hermione bent over me," he said smartly. "Malfoy had gone."

In the murmurs and mutterings that followed Potter's description, Malfoy took the opportunity to lean over the arm of Potter's chair.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he hissed. Potter smirked, an expression that looked distinctly out of place.

"We have Potions first thing. It didn't take much persuading to get Snape to let me off the rest of the day." He turned to Malfoy, his face straightening, and his eyes growing serious. "He'd do anything for you, you know. Even sending me in as your only defence."

Malfoy blushed and stared resolutely at the facing wall.

"He's a better father than Lucius." He muttered.

"About that – apparently you've denounced your ways." The Gryffindor remarked, his voice tinged with disbelief. Malfoy scowled.

"It's not that amazing, Potter," he growled. "And it's really none of your business."

"Actually, I think you'll find that it is. I'm the Saviour of the Wizarding World, don't you know."

Malfoy heard the irony, and snorted at the statement.

"Your head is expanding exponentially, Potter. I recommend that you stop reading the Prophet. It's having an adverse effect on you."

"Obviously."

"Order!"

Malfoy leaned back into his own seat as Fudge sent a few firecrackers into the air to ensure silence. The witches and wizards of the Wizengamot stared down at him like hawks, and he was glad that he had taken the time on his hair.

He noticed, with some interest, that Potter and Dumbledore exchanged a look that looked as though it might sway the verdict, as it were.

"Those for clearing defence of –" Fudge started, but he was interrupted by Dumbledore, who leaned over, and with a defeated look on his face, whispered something in his ear. The look on Fudge's face, to begin with smug, slowly changed until it was an expression of disbelief and horror. He stared at Dumbledore in apparent shock, who simply shook his head slowly. Fudge gulped a few times, and shuddered. Mutterings ran through the courtroom, and after a collecting himself again, he called for silence once more. He seemed to be having trouble speaking.

"The prosecution has retracted all charges." He said quietly, choking on the word 'all'. It took all of Malfoy's control to keep his jaw shut. "The defence is free to go."

The uproar that followed Fudge's words was enough to shake Malfoy out of his stupor. He stood quickly and made for the door before Dumbledore changed his mind and dragged him back to the chair. As he stormed through the doors, someone grabbed his arm and pulled him down a corridor that he didn't recognise. It seemed to be a shortcut, because he found himself standing in one of the lifts much sooner than expected.

"Snape's waiting in the foyer." Potter said shortly, leaning back against the wall. Malfoy stared at him, and he raised his eyebrow at the Slytherin. "What?"

"What did you do, Potter?" he asked, his voice awed. Potter grimaced.

"Technically, nothing. But I did say to Dumbledore last night that if he didn't find a way to get you off, I'd never speak to him again."

"You're kidding." Malfoy replied blandly. Potter shook his head slowly.

The look that the two Gryffindors had exchanged flashed in his memory. Potter's face, determined and angry and unforgiving all at once. Dumbledore's, defeated and annoyed and… afraid.

"That was an unpleasant thing to do, you know." He remarked in a low voice. "He'd be really upset if you rejected him like that."

"He should have thought of that before." Potter replied shortly, and Malfoy understood that the matter was not to be discussed.

"Level Nine; Atrium." The cool female voice said, and Malfoy followed Potter out of the lift and across the Atrium to where he could see Snape pacing impatiently in front of one of the fireplaces. He was snarling at everyone that came within two metres of him. Then he suddenly looked up and noticed them, and his face hardened as they drew closer.

"Well?" he asked shortly. Malfoy smirked.

"What do you think?" he asked supremely. The corner of Snape's mouth twitched slightly.

"You need to get back to school, both of you." he admonished. He pointed at the Floo. "You first, then Potter. I don't want either of you disappearing off somewhere." he sneered. Potter squirmed beside him.

"You're scaring him." He commented lightly, and Potter scowled. Taking a fistful of Floo from the pot on the mantelpiece, Malfoy stepped onto the hearth.

"Professor Snape's office!"


Harry was about to reach and take his own Floo powder, but a strong hand on his arm stopped him. Fearing some sort of rebuke might be forthcoming, Harry gulped and looked up at Snape's face. It was unreadable.

"It seems you do have your uses, Potter." He sneered, but the usual malice was lacking slightly. "You could have done worse." He admitted, and it was the closest thing to praise that Harry had ever received from the Potions Master. He swallowed his amazement and threw the Floo powder down onto the hearth, stepping into the pillar of green flames that transported him five hundred miles in a few seconds.

"How very elegant." Malfoy said lightly as he stumbled out of Snape's fireplace, consequently tripping on his robes and sprawling headfirst over the floor. "You should try for the Winter Olympics."

"Very funny, Malfoy." Harry snapped, clambering to his feet as Snape stepped out of the Floo like it was just a door. Malfoy sniggered.

"You two need to get going. I don't expect the Headmaster will be in a shining mood when he returns, so I'd advise that you stay out of his way if possible."

"Have we missed lunch, sir?" Harry asked as his stomach whined at the thought. Malfoy smirked.

"Is food and sleep the only thing you Gryffindors think about?" he asked in disbelief, shaking his head. Harry grinned at him.

"No. Food, sleep, and Quidditch."

"The secret to being a Gryffindor." Snape muttered as he consulted his pocket watch. "Yes, you have missed lunch. Go down to the kitchens and get something."

"Don't know where they are." Malfoy replied shortly. Snape was bent over his desk, and pointed at Harry without looking up.

"He does. Get out."

"I'll warn you now." Harry said as they strode down the corridors networking through the dungeons. "Your old house-elf works for Dumbledore, now."

Malfoy froze in his tracks, one foot poised above the next step. His face was white. Harry would have laughed at his expression, but he probably would have received a hex for his efforts.

"The one that you freed in second year?"

"Yes, that one." Harry nodded. Malfoy gulped visibly.

"You don't suppose he'll be in there, do you?"

"Well, of course he will." Harry frowned, then his face brightened. "But I could get rid of him for you, if you want."

Malfoy eyed him suspiciously.

"And how would you manage that?"

"Just ask him to go somewhere else as a favour and then come back in half an hour, or so. He'll do it, don't worry. He likes me."

"But still, you can't just order around a house-elf that barely knows you!" Malfoy protested, and Harry snorted.

"Stop whining, and grab this." He pulled his Invisibility Cloak from his robes and chucked it at Malfoy, who wrapped it around his shoulders. He made sure he was fully covered before Harry called for the house-elf, who appeared beside him with a crack, his face grinning, his tea-cosies bouncing madly.

"Harry Potter sir, it is good to see you! Dobby has been waiting for Harry Potter to come and see him, he is having good news!" Dobby yelled as he hugged Harry's waist.

"What's your good news?" he asked benignly, prising Dobby off himself. The house-elf looked up at him happily.

"Winky is leaving Hogwarts, Harry Potter sir, to find a new job!"

"Really? She's not drinking any more then?"

"No sir, she is finding more work! Dobby is happy!"

"That's great Dobby, it really is. But I have a favour to ask."

"Anything, Harry Potter sir! Ask Dobby anything!"

"Well, I need to make Ron a birthday cake. His presents are up in our dorm, but they're not hidden very well. I need you to go up to our dorms and make sure that he doesn't come and look for them. I'll let you know when I go back up so you can come back. Is that OK, Dobby?"

"Of course, Dobby shall do it right away! Dobby will do anything for Harry Potter and his Wheezy!" he beamed, and with a click of his fingers, was gone. Harry waited a moment to make sure he wasn't coming back, and then turned to Malfoy.

"I think 'like' was a slightly weak word." The Slytherin commented. Harry laughed.

"He's a good friend."

"And what was that about your Wheezy?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's what he calls Ron. The name stuck back in fourth year."

"Wheezy." Malfoy repeated slowly.

"Yeah – you know, Weasley, Wheezy?"

"The logic of a Gryffindor house-elf… why do I even bother to comprehend?" he said wearily. Harry smirked.

"Too complicated for you?"

"No. Too simple. I was expecting an engaging explanation."

"Pompous git."

"Indeed. Hungry, pompous git."

Harry shook his head ruefully and jumped down the rest of the stairs, stopping in front of the painting of the giant silver fruit bowl. Malfoy paused beside him and stared at it.

"This is the entrance to the kitchens?" he asked incredulously. Harry nodded, reaching out to tickle the pear. It giggled and squirmed, eventually forming into the familiar door handle.

"After you." he said courteously, and Malfoy stepped through the doorway into the kitchens. Harry looked around briefly, then followed him and closed the door behind himself. This time, he did laugh at the expression on Malfoy's face.

About twenty house-elves had immediately rushed up to him, faces eager and looking as though they had been waiting for work to do.

"Go on then. What do you want for lunch?" Harry asked cheerfully. Malfoy stared at the many house-elves, as though unsure of what to do. "All right, I'll go first. Full Sunday dinner, steak pie, lots of mash, please." He said brightly. The house-elves nodded eagerly and looked expectantly over at Malfoy.

"Er… just minted roast lamb, and some port." He stammered.

"Right away, Misters!" the elves chorused, and scattered. Grinning, Harry took Malfoy by the elbow and led him over to one of the tables, sitting him down. He was still gawping at the bustle of house-elves around them.

"There's loads!" he whispered reverently. Harry snorted.

"Yep. Over a hundred. The largest number in any one dwelling in England." He informed the Slytherin, who was gawping up at the ceiling, having obviously just realised that they were directly beneath the Great Hall. However, when Harry spoke, his head snapped down.

"How the hell do you know that?" he accused.

"Hermione." Harry answered succinctly.

"I should have known." Malfoy replied sagely as a dozen house-elves appeared at his elbow, bearing platters of food, which they deposited on the table.

"Have a nice meal, sirs!" they chorused, bowed, then scuttled away. Malfoy raised an eyebrow.

"I wish ours behaved like that." He remarked, dousing his lamb in mint sauce.

"They enjoy it here. Dumbledore's good to them." Harry shot back. Malfoy paused, and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you implying something, Potter?" he asked in a dangerously low voice. Harry shrugged, spearing a carrot on his fork.

"I'm implying that your father was cruel to Dobby." He raised his own eyebrow in a challenge. "Why, what did you think I meant?"

Malfoy scowled at him and ignored the question, instead setting straight into his lunch.


"I'm guessing that you're Quidditch Captain this year."

Malfoy nodded, his blond hair brushing against the grass.

"You too?"

"They nearly picked Ron."

Malfoy snorted, and cracked one stormy eye open, squinting at Potter against the bright sun.

"You're kidding." He said flatly.

"Not at all. They were seriously considering it."

Malfoy sat up, leaning on one hand to stare down at the Gryffindor splayed out on the grass at the edge of the lake.

"Have they completely lost their minds?" he asked incredulously. The corners of Potter's mouth twitched slightly at the insinuation.

"Not really. They didn't want to put any more pressure or responsibility on me, and apparently he was the next best choice for Captain. I would've thought that Alicia or Katie would have been a better choice, personally, but it doesn't really matter now."

"Still can't believe that I might have been facing Weasley as Captain." He remarked, flopping back down on the grass. Then he smirked. "Oh, that would have been quite fun actually… Weasley is our King, Weasley is our King, he always lets the Quaffle in, Weasley is our King…" he sang softly under his breath, and was surprised to hear Potter chuckle beside him.

"Stop it." The Gryffindor reprimanded, but since he was smiling at the same time, Malfoy could hardly take him seriously.

"You're not meant to laugh!" he said indignantly. Potter reached out and smacked him lightly around the head, causing his hair to stick up in an undignified fashion.

"Well I am. And it is quite funny, anyway."

"Oh great, now I need to find another way to annoy you." Malfoy snapped huffily. "Every time we sing that now, you lot are just going to start laughing!"

Harry laughed loudly as the sun dipped behind a cloud. No doubt Weasley himself was peering at them talking civilly from where he had Astronomy up in the Tower. He grinned to himself, thinking about the expression on the red-head's face. No doubt he would be scowling.

"What are you grinning about?" Harry asked curiously. He shrugged.

"Life in general."

Malfoy smiled.

The sixth year looked relatively promising.


Yes, in case you were wondering, the story is now finished. Finally, that's only the second non one-shot that's I've finished - it leaves me free to concentrate of my other two, at least.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed it - if you did, please leave feedback, and take a look at my other work.

Thank you for reading, it's been fun!

Warmest regards,

smokey

xxx