Three days have passed since Voldemort died. I am back at the Manor with Draco. Draco is confused and angry and sad and afraid. They have already taken Lucius back to Azkaban and I don't know what I'd do if they came for Draco.
I try to ignore those thoughts. They tend to overwhelm me. I open the Daily Prophet instead, the first edition since the Dark Lord's defeat. The cover is predictable. Huge flaring letters proclaim the defeat of the Dark Lord by Harry Potter. I skip it. I was there.
The next page is more somber. It lists all the dead in two columns; one under the heading 'Dumbledore's Army' and the other under 'Death Eaters'. It is masochistic but I force myself to read.
Fred Weasley, Order of Merlin First Class. One of the twins. I swallow. I don't particularly like Molly and Arthur Weasley or their brood of children, but I feel their loss. I wonder if the remaining twin – George, is it? – will ever be the same.
Remus Lupin, Order of Merlin First Class. Nymphadora's husband and the father of her child. A good man, for a werewolf. I never met him but Draco had very few bad things to say about him.
Nymphadora Tonks, Auror, Order of Merlin First Class. My eccentric Metamorphmagus cousin is dead. In fact, all of my family is dead. I'm the last shred of the Black family line. No – her son is part of it, too. The paper says his name is Teddy. I think Teddy Lupin will be receiving a sizable trust fund from an anonymous donor in the near future.
The next name surprises me. Severus Snape, Order of Merlin First Class, Order of the Phoenix. The paper explains that the Order of the Phoenix is a newly instituted honor and only the most heroic receive it. I frown. Shouldn't Severus be in the Death Eater column? I read on.
When I finish I am shocked. Then I am angry. My vision clouds over. I am literally seeing red. Dumbledore was already dying from a curse on one of the horcruxes. And Voldemort would have known, too, as he was the one who created the curse. The Dark Lord knew Dumbledore was dying and still charged Draco with killing him!
My hands tremble. It had torn Draco to pieces. With Lucius in Azkaban, vulnerable to Dementors that followed the will of the Dark Lord, and myself more or less powerless, responsibility for the wellbeing of his family had been heaped squarely on Draco. A boy of sixteen was not meant to handle that. That is why, at that age, they are called boys and not men.
I did the only thing I could. I went to Severus and asked for the Unbreakable Vow. Lucius had cautioned me against it, saying only that Severus might not be the best candidate, but who else could aid Draco like he could? It had worked in the end. Snape had helped an ailing man to his grave and relieved the pressure on Draco. And here we were, all four of us turncoats, one dead, one in prison, and the other two stuck in limbo.
I close the paper. I have read enough.
A week later Draco comes into the sitting room, clearly distressed. He holds out the Daily Prophet and asks,
"Mum, is this true?"
I take the paper from him.
MYSTERY EYEWITNESS: "I SAW THE MALFOYS TURN AGAINST VOLDEMORT"
A young man who will only identify himself as 'C' has claimed that he witnessed Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy act against the Dark Lord in the final hours of the war. C asserts that when Harry Potter was believed to be dead, Narcissa Malfoy was the one assigned to make absolutely certain The Boy Who Lived was gone. Mrs. Malfoy lied to the Dark Lord, stating that Potter was dead when she knew him to be alive. This matches statements made earlier in the week by Harry Potter himself, crediting Mrs. Malfoy with giving him enough time to recover from the Killing Curse.
This account goes further, however, in describing the subsequent capture and abuse of both Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. The couple was watched over by four Death Eaters as Voldemort marched on Hogwarts. For a time, C claims that Mr. Malfoy was unconscious, while three of the four Death Eaters attempted to sexually assault Mrs. Malfoy.
"Naturally," C stated, "Mr. Malfoy wasn't too happy about that when he regained consciousness." According to C Mr. Malfoy was armed with a knife. A fight broke out, during which the assault was prevented and the offending Death Eaters were killed. The fourth Death Eater escaped and has so far not been found.
This claim is consistent with the discovery of three Death Eaters, all found dead near the boundary of the Forbidden Forest. The Death Eaters were identified as Hans Morris, 28, a former Ministry page, Nathaniel Reegan, 27, and Eugene Blunt, 23. Both Blunt and Morris suffered knife wounds. Reegan appears to have died from the Killing Curse. "That doesn't necessarily mean it was Mr. Malfoy that killed him," C states. "All four Death Eaters were firing the curse and at one point Mr. Malfoy did use one of the men to shield himself. It must have been Reegan."
From there it is known that the couple went on to Hogwarts. Twelve witnesses have since come forward to testify that either Lucius or Narcissa Malfoy, or both, were fighting against the Death Eaters, not with them.
"It seemed like they were trying to protect their son," one witness, who has asked for her name to be withheld, stated. "I only saw them engage Death Eaters."
Another witness said, "They used only what force was necessary. Neither used any Unforgivables."
This report from the mysterious C adds more yet more force for a growing movement towards governmental pardon for Lucius Malfoy, who is currently imprisoned in Azkaban serving out the remainder of his interrupted sentence.
I lower the paper. C. It's…
"Callahan," I murmur out loud.
"What?" Draco asks.
"Nothing," I recover quickly. It has to be Callahan. He's repaying me for sparing his life. He's distorted the details just enough that we come out looking like saints. "Yes, Draco, it's true."
He closes his grey eyes. I know it's the mention of the almost-assault that has unsettled him.
"I'm all right, Draco. Nothing happened except a slight bruising of my dignity."
He nods and sits across from me. "Dad saved you?"
I nod in return. "He was quite gallant, actually."
For the first time in a long time, Draco smiles.
From there it is a cascade of headlines. Apparently, forensics and eyewitnesses are on our side.
MALFOY'S KNIFE POSITIVE FOR BLOOD OF BLUNT, MORRIS
The knife Lucius Malfoy possessed at the time of his arrest has been tested and shown to contain traces of blood of both Eugene Blunt and Hans Morris. These findings support new evidence brought forth by the source known only as 'C', who last week came forward to vouch for the Malfoys. The wand in Malfoy's possession was also tested and showed no sign of being used to cast an Unforgivable. The wands of both Blunt and Morris, found at the scene, had both cast the Killing Curse, supporting claims that Death Eater Nathaniel Reegan was killed by his own comrade. The wand in Malfoy's possession is believed to be that of the fourth, escaped Death Eater who remains at large.
Asked about the killings, Lucius Malfoy said, "I am guilty of the stabbings. I had to protect my wife. Any man would do the same."
FABRIC FOUND ON MORRIS MATCHED TO NARCISSA MALFOY
A scrap of fabric found beneath the fingernail of deceased Death Eater Hans Morris has been matched to a recent purchase at Madame Malkin's boutique. The transaction was traced to Narcissa Malfoy. This lends even more proof to claims that the Malfoys turned against the Dark Lord and were subsequently punished. It is now believed that Morris, 28, attempted to force himself on Narcissa Malfoy, thus coming to have her clothing beneath his nail. Of course Morris was prevented by her husband, Lucius. The two later escaped and went on to fight at Hogwarts.
LUNA LOVEGOOD SPEAKS OUT
Luna Lovegood, daughter of tabloid publisher Xenophilius Lovegood, is speaking out about her abduction and imprisonment during the war. Lovegood had previously stated that she was imprisoned at Malfoy Manor with several others. However, Lovegood is now revealing new information about her captors.
"I could hear a lot of what was going on through the pipes and ventilation shafts," she explained. "There was nothing else to do but listen." Lovegood also emphatically asserts that neither Lucius nor Narcissa Malfoy ever harmed her. In fact, she claims that Narcissa would at times sneak her books and extra food.
"I began to understand that they weren't in control," Lovegood said. "There were always Death Eaters coming and going and many times I heard the Dark Lord himself. The others would mock them, especially about their connection to Nymphadora Tonks and her husband, Remus Lupin. I would say they weren't in the Dark Lord's good graces."
"Sometimes," Lovegood continued, "I would hear the two of them fight. They were worried about their son, Draco. They wanted the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters out of their house and out of their lives. They were very unhappy."
When asked if she believed that the Malfoys were good people, Lovegood replied, "Oh yes, of course. Good people in a bad situation."
I remember the Lovegood girl. She is a strange little thing, but smart and resilient. Thankfully no one had had much interest in her, other than to keep her father under control. I did sneak food and books, and one time I risked a lot to give the poor girl a bath. I went down to give her our dinner leftovers and found her with blood all over her legs. I thought someone had done something nefarious to her and was ready to boil over with rage. Before I could, she informed me in that eerily calm, oddly mature way of hers that she had gotten her period and had nothing available to deal with it. I gave her a pile of dinner napkins and at three o'clock in the morning snuck her to the first floor bath. I washed her clothes and gave her the proper supplies. I can't say I blame her for not relating that story to the newspaper.
Another week passes and Draco is cleared of all charges. I am surprised at how many people vouch for him. The Death Eaters I understand; they're trying to make plea bargains for reduced sentences. But Harry Potter speaks for him, too. Neither of us expects it or understands it until an interview runs in the Quibbler.
Xenophilius Lovegood: You recently spoke out in support of Draco Malfoy, a former school enemy and Death Eater. Can you give us some insight on that, Harry? A lot of people don't understand why you did it.
Harry Potter: Well, I know that he didn't choose it. He kind of got forced into it, to try to make up for his father's failure in the Department of Mysteries. When the time came, though, he couldn't kill Dumbledore. He really struggled. If you think about it, there was a lot on the line for him.
XL: Like what?
HP: His family, for starters. He had to do it or else his family was in danger. It was his only choice. -Harry pauses- I guess if I had a family, a mother and a father like he does, I would have done the same thing.
Witch Weekly then runs a three days series of articles entitled 'Lucius Malfoy: Victim or Villain?' I think the women's newsmagazine is mildly obsessed with him. On the third day there is a tremendous picture of Lucius and me locked in a kiss. It is rather embarrassing. I know where it is from but I had no idea anyone was taking pictures. It was in the Great Hall of Hogwarts after the final battle, when the Aurors came to take him. He had asked them if he could please kiss his wife and son before he went. He'd given Draco a peck on the cheek, one of the only times in recent memory he'd done that, and me…
Well, he kissed me until my head spun. He had never kissed me so thoroughly in public before, and seldom in private, in nineteen years of marriage. He didn't care who was watching or what they thought. Now that I look at it, the picture is sort of iconic. His arms are around me tightly, our bodies just so, and there is genuine emotion in the part of his face that is visible. And with the bruises on his face and the bloody handprint on my shirt, it's…
Two weeks later a consent form comes in the mail, asking if the image can be used in a gallery chronicling the end of the war. I sign it without much thought. Lucius will probably be mortified, but if he didn't want people to see it, he shouldn't have done it. Besides, a part of me doesn't mind the whole world knowing that for that day, at least, Lucius Malfoy had been the best damn husband in the world.
I go to visit the gallery one day and am shocked to see that the picture has its own room. The owner explains that it had become a rallying point for people who believed that Lucius and some others should be pardoned. I don't know why so many people have aligned behind us; I'm certain it has something to do with the lawyers and the public relations man Lucius instructed me to hire. That isn't all of it, though. There's something else, something I can't define.
There were flowers, signs, sweets, everything you can imagine stacked like offerings on the floor beneath the picture of Lucius and me. Someone snaps a picture of me looking at it, my hand over my mouth and tears in my eyes, and that ends up in the gallery, too. The PR man tells me I'm a genius. I just laugh because I have noticed that Luna Lovegood has been there; no one else would leave a box of tampons with a flower sticking out of it.