Chapter 10

Misunderstandings

Charms class was over and as Draco headed to the door, tucking his books in his backpack Luna rushed up to him and grasped his hand.

"You need to talk to us Draco." She said, her normally dreamy blue eyes intent.

Draco looked behind her and saw Astoria and Helen headed their way. He fully intended to talk them about why he had been avoiding them but first he needed to talk to somebody else.

"I can't right now Luna, I have to do something else first." She gave him a look of disappointment but when Astoria gave a snort and drew Luna's attention away Draco pulled his hand free and moved off. He ignored Luna calling behind him.

He needed to meet with Dumbledore, the appointment had already been made and he wanted to get Dumbledor's advise, before he talked to the girls.

He had met with the former Headmaster on a number of occasions since the start of the year, about every two weeks. Their talks tended to revolve around how Draco was handling the stresses at the school, his attacks and recoveries and the history that had led him to make such a dramatic change in his life and personality. Draco found it therapeutic to talk with the former Headmaster, he could tell the painting things that he didn't even tell Luna.

It wasn't even until their last meeting that they had talked about what he had done over the summer. Draco didn't think it was much but Dumbledore had seemed fascinated by everything he had done. He had started with the moment he had left the office that day.

***The day of the Battle for Hogwarts***

Draco was thoughtful as he left the Headmasters office, he walked until he was outside the school grounds. His parents had already left and to his surprise, he found them waiting for him when he reached the gates.

"Come Draco" His mother said "We are going home."

"Where have you been, we've been waiting for over an hour?" His father demanded, full sneer back in place now that he could pretend he was relevant again.

"I took a walk." That was it, nothing else. He looked at his mother and said "I'm ready to go."

Before his father could say anything else Draco and his mother had disapparated back to the Malfoy home. His father arrived right behind them and as soon as he was steady he started in on Draco.

"How dare you ignore me?! Get inside, NOW! We have plans to make, we must salvage this situation, make it work to our favor. The blood-traitors will be working to clean things up, make sure the Muggles (he sneered the word) are unaware that anything has happened. If I can get to the right people we can say we were Imperiused. With a generous incentive, they will forget we had anything to do with it." Lucius was back, ready to twist the Wizard world around it long rich finger once again.

However, what he did not expect was that the Muggles were not the new Ministries first concern. The seat of Voldemort's power in England was. As they passed through the gates to the grounds, they saw men and women everywhere. Checking every outbuilding and going in and out of the manor with piles of papers and boxes floating before them. It seems that they were being raided and Draco gave a small half smile when he father came to a dead halt.

"What the bloody hell are you people doing in my home? You have no right to barge in here, I've a mind to have you up on charges of theft of personal property." Lucius Malfoy was stunned but doing his best to hide it. He needed to maintain, or regain, the upper hand. "Who are your superiors, I want to speak to them now!"

Draco looked at his father, and then at his mother. When both remained focused on those coming out of the home, and on a particular tall dark Wizard who Draco knew to be Kingley Shacklebolt, he decided he would just leave them to it.

He didn't get far though. He, his father and his mother were all taken into custody. They were not put immediately on trial though. Draco himself was only in custody for less than 3 days. He was not afraid of what was to happen, a large part of him knew he deserved whatever punishment was dished out. A small part insisted on saying he didn't have a choice, on making excuses. On the 2nd day he was taken to be questioned, he agreed to Veritaserum being used and proceeded to tell them everything he knew. He didn't try to hold back and often colored his own words in such a way as to make himself look even guiltier, though it was not a conscious attempt. When the questions were finished and he had explained everything that he had done and that had happened since before the start of his 6th year he expected to spend the rest of his life in Azkaban Prison.

They sent him back to his cell and he stayed another night. He had no contact with anybody but those who brought him his meals. He didn't see or hear his parents while he was there.

The next morning he was again escorted to the room where his questioning had taken place. There Kingley Shacklebolt was waiting for him, he had heard from his jailors that Kingley was the acting Minister now.

"Draco Malfoy, please, sit down." Shacklebolt had the deepest voice Draco had ever heard and in the past it had always made a chill go down his spine but not today. Draco sat down and waited to hear the verdict. Hands folded neatly in his lap.

"After reviewing your testimony yesterday, as well as the testimony of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley and the portrait Albus Dumbledore; it has been determined that you acted under extreme duress during the past two years. Though the near deaths of Katie Bell and Ronald Weasley would normally earn you a place in Azkaban Prison for the rest of your life, it was also determined that what you suffered at the hands of Tom Riddle was such that Azkaban would be nothing more than extreme measures in your case."

Draco was stunned, his mouth dropped open as the meaning of these words sunk in. He wasn't going to be punished? How did that make any sense?

"But that doesn't make any sense, none of those people, except maybe Professor Dumbledore, would stand up for me. I've been their enemy from the first day of school, they hate me, and they should. Sir, I did horrible things, I…I should be punished, I need to be, I need to make things right." Draco stammered to a halt.

"But you don't need to go to prison to do it Draco, in fact, being in prison is the exact opposite of being able to make things right. That would be the easy road for you; you wouldn't actually have to do anything except exist. There are higher expectations for your reformation than sitting in a cell would allow.

When you leave here today you will be expected to prove you are worth it. Just being a Malfoy will not be enough, the use of money, of buying your way to forgiveness will not work. You will have to actually work for it. Do you understand?" The Acting Minister kept his intimidating gaze on Draco's face.

"I think so, Dumbledore said something similar once, but I have no idea how I'm supposed to do it. It's not like anybody will listen or even believe me if I say I'm sorry." Draco replied.

The Ministers deep voice had a note of a smile in it. "Of course they won't, words are cheap…, but actions speak." He turned serious again. "Your father bought a lot of words with his coin, but in the end, they will not forgive what was done at his own home.

"You will be allowed to return to your home today in order to gather some belongings, but you cannot stay there. The Ministry will be there for some time before everything is settled. What you choose to take will be searched in order to ensure nothing questionable is removed. All Malfoy assets have been frozen, if you have any cash in the home you will be allowed to take enough to survive until you turn 18. This is when an inheritance becomes available to you correct? I believe that is in just a couple weeks?"

"Yes, an inheritance from my Grandfather, from long before the return of the Dark L" Draco stopped, "Long before his return."

"Do you have somewhere you can go in the meantime?" Kingley asked kindly.

"No, but I'll figure something out."

*** Present day***

And he had, it had not been easy but he had survived. He had arrived at the Headmistresses office and the time for remembrances was over.

He looked at the gargoyle protecting the entrance. "Bannockburn" He said and the gargoyle obligingly rotated to the side, revealing the winding staircase behind it. He climbed the now familiar steps and knocked on the door at the top.

"Come in Mr. Malfoy." The voice of the Headmistress came through the door.

Draco opened the door and stepped in, it looked the same as the last time he was here. After the first couple of meetings with Dumbledore a chair and table had been set up nearby his portrait. The table held a jug of pumpkin juice and a cup for him as well as a small bin of her tartan clad cookies. He always appreciated the gesture that the Headmistress made for him, especially since he was kicking her out of her own office when he met with the former Headmaster.

"How are you feeling Draco?" McGonagall asked as she adjusted her pointed wizard hat.

"Fine thank you ma'am, I've been getting better at recovering." He replied.

"Very cheeky, well, see that you try to avoid improving on the skill in the future young man. I shall leave you two to yourselves then, Draco, don't forget your report is due next week."

"Yes Ma'am." Draco would swear she had just joked with him, if he didn't know that Professor McGonagall never joked.

Draco moved over and sat in the chair that placed him at an angle to the portrait of the man he had come to see.

"Good day Draco, I trust you are well?" The portrait never changed, Dumbledore still had the same half-smile, half-closed eyes and half-moon glasses that he always had. His long white hair hanging past his shoulders and his hat perched jauntily on his head. The beard hung below the portrait frame but Draco knew it reached nearly to his knees.

Draco had stopped giving half-truths to the ever-observant portrait so instead of continuing their prior conversation about his summer, he addressed the problem that was occupying him today.

"Not really professor, I think somebody who I thought was my friend isn't." Draco said, straight out. "I think she still holds my past against me."

"What makes you think this?" Dumbledore asked.

"It's kind of hard to talk about. I like her, and I thought she liked me. But she didn't." Draco stopped, not really sure what else he could say that would make sense.

"Come Draco, one of the benefits of being as dignified, or shall I say old, as myself is that there is rarely anything that we have not heard before. Maybe we even lived it ourselves." Dumbledore prompted him.

"I like her, she's nice and strong and protective and I thought she liked me too. Maybe I was seeing something that wasn't there though. Because when I asked her if she wanted to go to Hogsmede with me she got really mad and said." Here Draco broke off, his voice cracking "She said she would never go out with me and that I should leave her alone. She even called me by my last name and she knows I don't like it. It felt like I got stabbed in the gut."

"Why would you think this would have anything to do with your past?" Dumbledore asked.

"What else could it be? I didn't do anything else. I've been having a really good year, not counting the nearly dying and all I mean. I have…had…actual real friends for the first time in my life. Harry and I are getting along ok, we'll never be best friends but that's fine, we don't really have much in common. I mean, when you take out all the bad things anyway. The Gryffindor folks aren't hexing me anymore. I'm enjoying all my classes and getting good grades. I can't think of anything I did that could have caused her to hate me again."

The former Headmaster was thoughtful and Draco poured himself some pumpkin juice and took a couple of cookies from the tin, placing them on the small plate in front of him.

The professor seemed deep in thought which was interrupted by another voice.

"Excuse me young man, may I make an inquiry?" It was the portrait of Dilys Derwent, one of the most famous Headmasters in Hogwarts history and a celebrated healer at St. Mungo's hospital. She had often joined their discussions as she was highly intelligent. She had come from Ravenclaw after all so it was to be expected.

"Of course Headmistress." Draco responded, turning his attention to her.

"I should like to present an opposing view to your supposition. It has ever been the way of the young to think that what you heard was what was said. However, if you are to be a true Ravenclaw you must rely on fact and avoid speculation.

"Logic dictates that additional information would be required before you reach an erroneous conclusion which could exacerbate your situation. After all a conclusion without sufficient facts to support it is faulty at the core, even if that conclusion should prove to be accurate in the end. The very process of determining the facts often sheds a new light on the case allowing the conclusion to be viewed in an entirely different manner."

Draco thought he must have a hearing a problem because though she seemed to be speaking English he didn't understand a word she said.

"What she means Draco, is you have to talk to the girl, find out what she meant by what she said, before you assume and make things worse."

Draco was thoughtful when he left the Headmistresses office. He ran the most recent conversation with Astoria over in his mind and was no closer to understanding why she turned on him than he had been before. He ran the past two months over in his mind, all of his interactions with Astoria, trying to find some explanation for why she still didn't trust him, but like his conversation with her he found nothing.

He hadn't done anything, said anything or even thought anything that should have given her any reason to distrust him.

So if the fault wasn't with him, maybe it was with what happened around him. Maybe she was worried about Luna and Helen and didn't believe they would be safe around him. After all, people kept trying to kill him, anybody around him would be in danger as well. Maybe she just took the opportunity to push him away so that they would be safe. That actually made sense, but she should have talked to him about it, instead of being cruel.

That was what struck him the most, rather than using her logical mind, she had resorted to a treachery worthy of a Slytherin. How did that make her any better than him, maybe he was a danger to her friends but he didn't mean to be and he didn't deserve the kind of pain she had caused him. She should have just talked to him, he would have understood.

He didn't go back to the common room right away, instead walking the halls of the castle, slowly but surely working himself up to a point where he knew he would have to confront her. Helen and Luna deserved an explanation for why he was avoiding them and he needed to know why Astoria had chosen the path she did to protect them.

In the common room the three girls were quiet, working on their Charms papers due next week. Astoria had been unusually quiet all week and the other two knew something had happened between her and Draco. But whenever they tried to question her about it she would just say it was nothing and that she didn't want to talk about it. While Helen was confused, Luna was starting to get angry and an angry Luna was a rare sight to see.

Lunch time rolled around and they were packing up their books when suddenly Luna broke the silence.

"I don't know what you did or said Astoria, but you hurt him. He won't even talk to me about it. But he is sad, his spirit hurts, and you did it. What kind of friend would do that to another."

With that, Luna left the common room, and Astoria, stunned, could only watch her.

Helen looked from the door that Luna had passed through back to Astoria. "You need to make this right."

"You don't understand Helen, Draco isn't who we thought he was, he's no better than any other Slytherin, I don't know why the Sorting Hat thought he fit in here."

Then she headed out the door as well, Helen sighed and followed her.

The three sat beside each other, after all they were friends, that would never change, but they sat in silence. Each consumed by her own thoughts. Those thoughts were interrupted though when Draco showed up.

He sat down across from Astoria and stared at her.

At first she just ignored him and continued to eat, but after a while the constant feel of his eyes on her got to her.

"What?!" Her voice was mean, angry.

"Now that, is a very good question." Draco said.

"What do you want Malfoy?" scorn dripped from voice.

Draco suppressed his initial desire to snap at her. It wasn't the way to resolve this.

"I want to know why you said what you did; I want to know why you chose to hurt me instead of talk to me? Isn't that the way Ravenclaw is supposed to work?" Draco asked, between clenched teeth.

"If you have to ask how Ravenclaw works, maybe you don't belong here. Maybe the Hat got it wrong." She replied.

"You know what I learned from the Hat Astoria? I learned that there is a little bit of every house in each of us." Draco said but felt guilty when he saw the flash of hurt in her eyes.

However, he needed to keep going "I'm sorry, that was mean, but what you said hurt, and I think I have the right to know why."

"You know exactly what you did Draco, and if you want to talk about this, we can do it later." Astoria glanced at the girls next to her.

"I don't think so, I think it's important to face this now, before it becomes something more than we can handle. If we can't resolve it, then perhaps the mediation option can." Draco made the offer, though he hoped she wouldn't want to do that.

Astoria gave Draco her full attention at this. "No, no mediation. If you want to have this out now, fine, let's talk. What you did was wrong Draco, you never should have approached me, even you should understand that."

"I think I understand why you did it, but I've thought a lot about my actions, not just from that day, but from the last two months. I wasn't able to find anything that I had done personally that would have caused you to lash out at me like that. If you had concerns you should've just voiced them." Draco was calming down, he had started thinking logically again and he was kind of enjoying it. He knew they would get to the point eventually.

"That right there is your problem Draco, you don't think you did anything wrong. Something tells me though that Luna wouldn't feel the same way." Astoria sounded exasperated, like he just wasn't getting it.

"Don't bring me into this Astoria, you need to work this out for yourself." Luna stated.

Astoria threw up her hands and practically growled "You're already in it Luna, Merlin!, are you that spacey that you can't see he was trying to cheat on you?"

Astoria clapped her hands over her mouth, her eye's gone wide and suddenly filled with tears. "Oh Luna I am so sorry, I didn't mean to say that."

"Why? I can be spacey, it helps clear the mind of Nargles" Luna said, unperturbed.

Helen slowly raised her hand, "Um, I think I see the problem here."

"Finally! Somebody gets it." Astoria said.

"Actually, you're the one who doesn't get it. You think Luna and Draco are together?"

"Yes, of course, that's obvious." Astoria said, clearly upset.

Luna and Draco looked at each other and several moments passed before Luna spoke, saying very seriously.

"I'm sorry Draco, but I've never felt that way about you. I mean, you're like a brother to me."

Draco looked back at Astoria and said very softly "We aren't going out Astoria, we never have."

Astoria sat stunned, and slowly, as what they said sunk in, she got the point. Draco and Luna weren't together and she had been wrong, so very wrong. She jumped up from the table and blushing bright red, tears making a path down her cheeks she ran out of the Great Hall. With everybody in the room watching.

Helen looked from the running Astoria and back to Draco who just looked pained. What had just happened clicked for her as she got that the person Draco had supposedly tried to "cheat" on Luna with, was Astoria herself. "Draco, go after her!"

Draco quickly jumped up and ran after her. "Wait, Astoria, just wait." Draco had a hard time catching her up, the girl ran like the wind. When he did get close enough, he caught her arm, stopping so abruptly they both nearly fell down.

"Let me go, please just let me go." Astoria's voice was small, forlorn and lost. Draco couldn't stand it.

"No, no Astoria, we're not quite done yet. You understand now that Luna and I aren't together right? I mean, she's like my wacky little sister. I love her, but not like that." Draco tried to catch Astoria's eyes.

"I'm so sorry Draco, I'm so sorry about what I said. I really thought, after I saw you kiss her, that you were together. When you asked me out, I couldn't believe you would do something like that. It just made me so mad." Astoria was sniffling, her head down, avoiding looking at Draco.

"There's blame enough to go around. At first I thought you still didn't trust me, that I was good enough to be your friend, but nothing more and that just the idea of anything else disgusted you." Draco's voice was quiet. "I jumped to conclusions too, thinking the worst.

"Then I talked to Professor Dumbledore and he and one of the other former Headmasters helped me see that that just didn't make sense. So then I thought you were pushing me away to protect your friends. That the last time somebody tried to hurt me was just one time too many. Again, I assumed. But now I knew I had to talk to you to straighten it out.

"But I was still wrong. You only thought one bad thing about me, I condemned you without even asking twice. I know now you would never do that, never hurt me on purpose. I'm really sorry Astoria." Draco pulled her toward him, hugging her close, like a friend.

Astoria sniffled some more and wiped her eye's with the back of her hand. Then she looked up at Draco and his heart just…..stopped.

Her eyes were like melted chocolate, when it gets that pretty sheen that reflects the light around it.

"You really wanted to go with me to Hogsmede?" She smiled tremulously.

Draco pulled back a little "Well…" he started, 'if you really want to, I guess I could go with you."

Astoria smiled, pulled back and punched him on the arm.

"OW!" He yelped, faking (pretty much) the pain "Your being mean to me again."

Dang this one was hard, I just don't remember being a teenager, so if this sounds all wrong, sorry.

Thanks again to the Peanut Gallery for trying to make sure I didn't completely sound like a dork. That's right, I said dork, yup, I'm old.

Vote and comment, let me know what you think, a little feedback goes a long way.