A cold wind blew through the corridor as the blonde boy walked briskly toward the door. It was weird being back here after all that had transpired just a year ago. He drew his cloak tighter around himself as he knocked lightly on the heavy wooden door. He heard a response to enter from within.

'Time to get this over with…' he thought as he pushed open the door to face his future.

Unbeknownst to our blonde protagonist, he was being followed. A boy shortly past the age of 18 stood at the corner of the adjacent corridor. He was so shocked at the scene before him that he removed his perfectly round glasses, wiped them with his cloak, and replaced them just to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

'It is Malfoy…'

Harry Potter narrowed his eyes as he watched the platinum-haired boy knock on the door before him.

'What could he possibly be doing here?'

Harry saw Malfoy enter the room and he quickly ran to the door. He needed to know what was going on, and if that meant a little eavesdropping was in order, then so be it.

So he waited with his ear pressed to the thick, wooden door for the conversation to begin.

Draco entered the room, lightly shutting the door behind him. He turned and faced the woman behind the desk, the woman that would decide his fate here and now.

"Mr. Malfoy? Well, this is quite the surprise." Professor McGonagall stated. Her words may have portrayed surprise but her face did not. She did not seem pleased to see him at all. This caused Draco to momentarily drop his eyes before he lifted them again and slowly opened his mouth to speak.

"Professor McGonagall, I was hoping for the chance to speak with you briefly about the matter of my letter."

Professor McGonagall placed her hands on her desk, one atop the other. She looked towards him almost disinterestedly.

"If I am to remember correctly, you did not receive one."

"Yes, and that is what I was hoping to speak with you about. I was wanting to ask, personally, if I could return to continue my education to finish my last year here at Hogwarts. After everything that has transpired, I felt that I now have a chance to properly focus on my studies."

Professor McGonagall's eyes narrowed as she leans toward him.

"How many?" She asks, her voice laced with a venom not seen from her by many.

"P-pardon?" Draco stutters out in response.

"How many people did you step on to benefit yourself because you thought you could do whatever you pleased as long as your father stepped in to protect you? How many innocent people did you use for your own selfish reasons? How many times did I put you in detention? How many times did we have to deal with your insufferable attitude? Your superiority?"

"I-I-"

"And how many times did you almost kill someone? How many times did you make other students' lives a living hell? How many times did you completely disregard the help of others just for your pride?"

The last word hung in the air. McGonagall's voice rose and rose to the point of yelling and now that she was done, the silence was deafening. Draco swallowed around the lump in his throat before his answer came simply.

"T-too many to count."

This surprised the elder woman. His voice sounded so small as he stuttered out his response. Though she wasn't impressed. Professor McGonagall leans back, her hands held out, palms up.

"Then I believe you have my answer. You may leave."

"But, Professor, I-"

"Leave, Draco. Now. While you can still walk out of here on your own."

The use of his first name by the woman was the first he had ever heard her refer to any student in such a way. This solidified her decision in Draco's mind. There was no going back, no changing it.

He dropped his head with a sigh before nodding and turning to leave. He took several steps before the door opened in front of him. A boy, with brown hair, round glasses, and a scar on his forehead popped in, making Draco halt in his attempt to leave. Professor McGonagall seemed just as shocked as he.

"Mr. Potter, what are you doing here?"

Harry ignored the bewildered look of the boy next to him as he spoke with McGonagall.

"Professor, I apologize for eavesdropping but I wanted to say something myself about the matter at hand."

Professor McGonagall intertwines her fingers and looks at the boy.

"Mr. Potter, I don't believe this concerns you-"

"But, Professor, it does. Out of everyone here at Hogwarts, Malfoy and I were the ones most at odds with each other. So, if you'd please, allow me to say something regarding him."

Professor McGonagall, sighing, hung her head before sitting back down. Draco stood to the side, teeth clenched, waiting just as Professor McGonagall was for what Harry had to say. She motioned for Harry to speak. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

"I believe you should give him another chance."

This dumbfounded Draco. The boy's mouth dropped open and an audible gasp was released, to which both other parties ignored. Professor McGonagall eyed Harry carefully, seeing nothing other than sincerity.

"And why is that, Mr. Potter? As you said, you and he were always at odds with each other. Why do you wish to have him return?"

"I believe he's changed, Professor, or at least has the potential to. During the war, he could have outed me to the DeathEaters, to Voldemort. If he had, I would have died and things would be much different."

Professor McGonagall's eyes went wide as she listened to Harry continue.

"I would also like to do this for his mother. She was the one who told Voldemort I was dead. This gave me the advantage I needed to beat him. Without those two, I would be dead and a much different person would be sitting in your chair. I cannot ignore that fact."

The silence that ensued was tangible. Draco stared from Harry to Professor McGonagall, biting the inside of his mouth in anticipation. Professor McGonagall stared up at Harry before sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose. She looked up again, this time at Draco, who straightened up and looked back.

"Very well. Seeing as Mr. Potter has put a modicum of respect towards you, I must take this into consideration. You get one more chance, Mr. Malfoy. One more. If not for Mr. Potter's words on your behalf, you'd be lucky to walk out of here unscathed so keep that in mind. If I hear of you putting one toe out of line, one insult, one distressed student due to you, you will be out of here in an instant. Do you understand, Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco sighed in relief and nodded.

"Yes, Professor. You will not regret this."

She hummed in response and made a face full of disbelief.

"You must not just prove yourself, Mr. Malfoy. You must atone and go above and beyond all of our expectations. That is what's expected of you in order for you to remain here. Now both of you, please leave me in peace."

Professor McGonagall turned away from both of them back to the business spread along her desk. Harry turned and walked out with Draco at his heels. Draco latched the door behind him before leaning against it and collapsing to the ground, letting out a huge breath of relief. 'I did it. I'm back at Hogwarts,' he thought. 'And it's all thanks to-'

Harry was already halfway down the hall before Draco noticed. He quickly returned to his feet and ran after him before stopping a short distance away.

"Potter…"

The brown-haired boy stopped before turning back. Draco had never spoken his name without an edge to it so hearing him say his name so softly, so gratefully, caused the spectacled boy to pause.

"Thank you…without you-"

"I didn't do it out of kindness, Malfoy." Harry stated quickly, a bite in his own voice.

Draco's eyes widened.

"We're even now, okay? You saved my life, I saved your arse. I'm no longer indebted to you. So you're back at Hogwarts? Congratulations but you keep to yourself, and I'll keep to myself, alright?"

Not even waiting for a response, Harry turned on his heel and waltzed back down the hall, leaving Draco to stare dumbfounded after him. He quickly recovers and pulls his cloak around him tightly, bringing the hood up, too. He slowly walked to the entrance of Hogwarts, avoiding the glances of the little number of people walking the halls. He knew he couldn't avoid everyone forever but for now, he was spent. His body had been ravaged with tension and dread for months on end, awaiting his letter that never came. He wanted his bed.

So he walked until he was outside of the castle's parameters and apparated to the opening gate of Malfoy Manor. He was home, though it hasn't felt like that in a long time. No one else was here now, so he walked to his room, collapsed on his bed, and slept, awaiting tomorrow.