AN: Thanks for reading! And thank you for those that have followed and favorited! You guys don't know how much that means to me! Same warnings from chapter 1, and I own nothing. All errors are my own. Here goes nothing!
Chapter 2
Draco sat there. And sat. And thought. Life isn't always fair, but he felt like he deserved this. His cell in Azkaban consisted of four brick walls with a bucket in the corner. There was a blanket on the ground for his bed, but that was all. At least he didn't have to worry about the dementors. All he could do was think about the war. He had nightmares most nights, reliving the last year with that maniac. Why had his stupid father even followed that idiot?
He had been arrested promptly after the end of the Final Battle, like many of the other Death Eaters. He didn't really like being compared to the rest of them, but the mark on his arm labeled him as one of them. He thought of it that way. Him vs. them. He had tried to stay away from them as much as possible. He had seen the cruelty and knew that something was wrong. He would never have said anything to any of them though, except his mother.
Each day passed slowly, but he could see the sky from the small window in his cell. He guessed he had been in there about two weeks before his trial began, and what a long two weeks it was.
As he was presented before the Wizamont, he was scared to know his fate. Two faces stood out in the stands beside him. Were they here to testify against him? Shouldn't they be on the other side?
To his surprise, the Boy Wonder defended him. Wait... Lightening Bolt was there when Dumbledore was killed? Draco was baffled. Harry spoke about Draco's unwillingness to kill Dumbledore and his lie to Bellatrix when he said he wasn't sure that the snatchers had brought in Harry Potter. Hermione spoke about their visit to the Manor, but she also spoke about Draco's involvement in the Final Battle. She had seen him throw a few hexes at the Death Eaters that were attacking some of the Hogwarts students.
Draco couldn't believe it. Boy Wonder and his Brain? They didn't owe him anything, but they still defended him. Their testimonies saved him. The Wizamont decided that he was too young to make his own decisions when he was branded, but he should still be held accountable for some of his actions. He would be held under house arrest until school started. He was expected to return to Hogwarts for his NEWTS and make all Os, especially in Muggle Studies. There were a few other stipulations, such as not being able to contact his parents until after the Christmas Holidays and remain in the castle for all break aks until graduation. But if he failed to meet all of the requirements, he would be thrown back into Azkaban.
Draco returned to the Manor that night. He had almost two months before term started, but he was expected to stay in the place that no longer felt like home. The Manor was in disarray. Nothing had been done since they left for the Final Battle. The Dark Lord's stain remained. Draco hoped he could do something about it, but he didn't know where to start.
Narcissa's trail was next. Scar Head spoke up for her, too. It shocked most of Wizarding London. After his crucial testimony, Narcissa was placed under house arrest but was sent to one of the other estates until Draco left for school. They weren't allowed to contact each other yet, but Draco was thrilled to know his mother was spared. The Prophet suddenly hailed Narcissa as a hero for lying to Voldemort.
Draco was proud of his mother after living under Lucius' rule for far too long. She was able to stand on her own when it counted.
The summer was almost as long as his stay in Azkaban. He struggled with nightmares and guilt daily. Being in the Manor didn't help either. But finally it was time to return to Hogwarts.