Chapter 4

The Questioners

When Harry mentioned Draco's wand Ginny looked surprised.

"Are you sure Harry?"

"Yes." Harry replied

Ginny sighed and handed the wand to Harry who then passed it to Draco. Draco nodded a quick thanks and tucked the wand into his back pocket.

"Draco, if what you say is true, I appreciate your telling us. It can't have been easy, I know." Harry began, "However, don't think it's going to make everything better either. You have spent years trying to hurt us and that will take time, and proof that you've truly have changed, before it can be forgiven."

"I know."

"So you said we could ask questions, I have one." Said Ron "Why have you changed how you look?"

"I haven't changed actually, I just allowed myself to return to my natural look." Draco replied "My parents had a very specific…..hmmm, image, they wanted to present. The extremely light hair was part of that image. It made my father and mother stand out and they prefer it that way. When I was born and my hair was this rather standard color, they decided to change it."

Hermione popped in at that point, "So they dyed your hair?"

"I'm not sure what that means, they didn't kill it and replace it, they just changed the color." Draco replied.

"For Muggles, if they want to change their hair color they use a mixture of colors, kind of like a potion, to change it, from brown to blond say." Harry explained.

"Really?" Draco said, a look of surprise on his face "I didn't know they could do that."

"Me either." Ron and Ginny said together.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other and smiled a little. It was nice when they could get one over on those who didn't know much about the non-magical world. It made up for it when they were surprised by something from the Wizarding world that everybody else took for granted.

"Anyway" Draco continued, "They also ensured my skin was even more pale than normal, even for England, and ensured my overall look was very distinctive.

"When I left at the end of last term I stopped changing my hair and let it grow back it's normal color, and then when I was traveling I got a bit tanned. I am physically, more myself now than I ever was in the past."

Ginny asked the next question. "Why is your voice so different?"

"It's not, I'm just not always talking out my nose anymore, the tones and tenor of my voice before was an affectation. I was copying my father. I stopped. To tell you the truth, it used to hurt my throat to talk that way all the time."

"Why didn't you tell somebody, a teacher or something, they may have been able to help?" Hermione asked.

"It's not that easy Hermione. You never reach a point….I mean, it is hard to know that anything is wrong. I'm not sure I'm explaining this right. I didn't know that I was being treated badly. How would I know that?" Draco tried to answer this question but it wasn't easy, then Harry helped again.

"When the only thing you have ever known is the abuse, you don't know there is something wrong with it. It is normal, everyday, life. Without a frame of reference, which you don't have when you are little, there is nothing to tell you what is right and what is wrong." Harry said.

"Yes, exactly, even when I went to school, I still didn't interact with other kids and their parents, so I still didn't know that what happened at home wasn't the same for everybody. Eventually I figured it out when I read the stories about Harry in the Daily Prophet during our 4th year. I realized that if the paper was telling the story like this, than it couldn't be normal." Draco added.

"How can we trust that you're not just switching sides because Voldemort lost?" This from Ginny

Draco took a deep breath and let it out. "I can't answer that one for you, only time will prove my intentions, unless you want to try Veritaserum on me. I would be willing but remember, that misuse can cause permanent damage, so I would want to be involved in it's making and administration."

"Let's just store that option in the boot for now. But we are not going to go there unless we have to." Harry said.

"After not killing Dumbledore, and then not giving me away at your house, why did you come after me in the Room of Requirement?" Harry's turn.

This was the question Draco had no decent answer for. "Because, my Father ordered me to. I was to capture you and return to the Dar….to Vold. You know what, no, I did it because it was too weak to stand up for myself and tell him that I wouldn't do it anymore and that I wanted out."

Everybody was quiet for a minute, no new questions coming his way. Draco stood, "I should probably go now, we're getting close to the school and we still need to get into our robes."

"Draco wait." Harry said "There are a couple of things you need to know."

"Ok?" Draco sat back down.

"First, about your Mother. When I went to give myself up to Voldemort, he sent your Mother to see if I was dead. I was awake, and there was no way she would not know I was still alive. I thought for sure I was going to die anyway. However, when she stooped down to check me, and found I was still alive, she whispered a question to me. She wanted to know if you were still alive, when I indicated you were, she lied to Voldemort and said I was dead. That was an exceptionally brave thing your Mother did and I owed her, that's why you and your parents were given a reprieve."

Draco's face was unreadable, so Harry continued.

"Also, Professor Snape was never Voldemort's man, or at least, he had not been since Voldemort killed my parents. While he couldn't stand me or my father, he had always cared for my Mother and when Voldemort killed her he lost Professor Snape. Since the Professor was an accomplished Occlumens and Voldemort couldn't read his mind, or at least, what he did get was a carefully sculpted lie, he never knew. Professor Snape killed Dumbledore at Dumbledore's request in order to protect you from having to do it. Both of them were protecting me and you the whole time."

Draco was silent for a minute, his head down so they couldn't see his face.

"I always wondered, why didn't you come after me when you found out my Father gave Ginny the Diary?"

Harry and Ron shared a look, "Um, because we knew for a fact that you didn't know."

"How did you know that?" Draco looked up.

"Let's save that story for another time, you're right, we're getting close to Hogsmede and should change."

Draco stood up again, "Thank you for giving me a chance to be heard. It's important to me that you know I am not going to be causing you anymore trouble."

"What are you going to do now?" Ron asked. "I mean, in the future?"

"I don't know, I'm taking things one day at a time right now." Draco replied. "See you at school."

Draco hurried back to his car, Neville and Luna were still there but were now in their school robes. He quickly pulled his out and put them on, even as the train was slowing to a halt.

A new year, a new beginning. He was going to make new enemies this year, that was unavoidable, but he hoped he had started to make some new friends as well. Only time would tell.

Another chapter down and we've reached Hogsmede. I am looking forward to seeing what happens next, hope you are too. Remember to vote and comment and let me know how I am doing so I can make corrections and adjustments as I go. FenraAsgilli (FA) formerly known as TessaKing5.

9/16: Updated to improve flow