Chapter Twenty-Four
Two weeks passed and everyone seemed to be trying to get back to normal. Or as normal as things could be. Harry, McGonagall, and Kingsley organized a memorial for the Battle of Hogwarts and everyone attended. Draco even remembered seeing a bunch of witches and wizards from Diagon Alley there.
He and his mother were staying with his aunt Andromeda and Teddy. Harry came by early in the week to start bonding with his godson and Andromeda invited him over any time. Draco was happy to be staying with his aunt, but soon found Teddy's crying to be a bit wearing. He tried to help his aunt and mother as much as he could, but obviously, they knew more about raising a child then he did. Narcissa often pushed Draco and Hermione to baby-sit Teddy. Draco suspected it was her sneaky way of showing them that they were not ready to raise a child—not that it was even on their minds.
The upcoming week was to be the start of a number of funerals and Draco already dreaded going.
He was staring at himself in the mirror, trying to tie his tie without looking stupid. His dress robes were on and ready; he just needed the tie.
"Oh, this is absolutely useless!" he cried, throwing the tie on his bed.
"Mind if I help?"
Draco looked up and smiled at Hermione, standing in the doorway to his bedroom. She was wearing a simple black dress that ended at her knees. She looked absolutely beautiful. He gestured her in.
"Your mother let me in," she said, taking the tie from his bed. She put it around his neck and proceeded to tie it.
He nodded.
Hermione finished and pulled on it to bring him down so she could kiss him. "How are you holding up today?"
Draco shrugged, unaware that he had not spoken a word to her yet.
"Last time to say goodbye to Tonks and Remus," she said, looking into his eyes. She noticed the tears gathering there.
He blinked them away and sniffed. "I don't know how I'm doing."
She gave him a hug. "I love you. And I'm with you, okay?"
Draco smiled. "Thank you, love." He kissed her.
Someone knocked on the door. "Draco, are you nearly ready? We have to leave soon." His mother was standing in the open doorway.
Draco nodded. "I'm ready, Mum."
She smiled and nodded at the two of them. "I'll get Teddy. Head downstairs now."
A few hours later, Draco found himself gripping Hermione's hand tightly. His mother was sitting next to him, holding baby Teddy, and his aunt sat on her other side, wailing loudly. Harry sat on the other side of Hermione, the five of them sitting in the spot reserved for family.
A great number of people had shown up to Nymphadora's and Remus' funeral. Draco recognized some people from the Order and some teachers from Hogwarts.
Kingsley spoke and his aunt seemed to cry louder.
"Mother," Draco whispered, trying not to take away from Kingsley's eulogy. "Give him to me." He reached for Teddy and gestured to his aunt.
Narcissa nodded and handed Teddy to Draco. She immediately put an arm around her sister, comforting Andromeda.
Remus' and Nymphadora's bodies were lowered into the ground and Teddy began to cry. It was almost like he knew that he would really never see his parents again.
"Shh…" Draco whispered comfortingly. He bounced Teddy in his arms. Teddy continued crying, but he buried his face in Draco's shoulder, muffling the sound. Draco threw an apologetic look at Kingsley and excused himself. Hermione and Harry quietly followed him.
Hermione looked at Teddy sadly and rubbed his back.
"Harry—" Draco carefully handed Teddy to him. He turned toward Hermione and faced her.
"Erm—you guys aren't going to snog, are you?" asked Harry, looking uncomfortable. "Cuz I'd really prefer to not be here for that. And I don't think I want my godson to witness that." He put a hand over Teddy's eyes.
Draco rolled his eyes and shook his head. "No, we are not going to snog. My hair, Hermione. Put it right. Please."
"Are you sure?" she asked. She pulled her wand out and held it casually at her side.
Draco nodded. "I think…I think I'm ready to let go and say goodbye." He raised a hand to his pink hair, thinking about his cousin and her fondness for the color. He winked at Teddy, noticing that he hadn't changed his hair from pink either. Draco had to admit—if one didn't know the two of them, people would surely think they were strange. He had refused to have Hermione or his mother change the color of his hair, feeling like it kept Nymphadora and Remus close to him. He knew they had passed, but he hadn't really accepted it.
At least, until today.
Draco nodded. "I think I'm ready," he repeated.
Hermione nodded and smiled through her tears. She raised her wand and muttered a few words. Immediately, Draco's hair changed from bubblegum pink to pale blonde, almost white. Hermione moved forward and ran a hand through his hair.
"Do you prefer the pink?" Draco asked.
"I do," volunteered Harry. "So does Teddy." He raised Teddy's tiny hand.
"I just prefer you," she replied, ignoring Harry.
Draco smiled and pulled her close. He cupped her face. "Harry, we're gonna snog now."
Hermione giggled as Harry groaned and walked away. She leaned up and put her arms around his neck and inhaled his masculine scent. He leaned down and kissed her deeply.
"Are you all right?" she asked, letting go of him.
He shook his head. "I miss them. But…it'll be okay."
It was finally the day of his father's funeral. He didn't want to go and he didn't want anyone else to go either. He already asked Hermione not to show up. And he hoped she relayed the message that nobody else should go, too. It wasn't fair for any of them to pay their respects to a man who made their lives a living hell.
Then again, he wondered why he should even be there.
He knew he was going solely for the benefit of his mother and figured that Lucius was his father, so he felt obligated to go. He knew his father was remorseful and sorry in the end, but Draco felt like there was too much to make up for. He forgave his father for how Draco was treated, but he really just wanted to forget about all of it and him.
And after today, he'd finally be able to move on.
"Mother?" he called. "Are you ready to go?"
Draco walked out of his room with a sense of trepidation. He saw his mother sitting at the table with his aunt. Teddy was lying in his bassinet nearby, sleeping.
"Mother?"
Narcissa nodded and stood from the table. She kissed her sister's cheek and headed for the door. Draco kissed her cheek also and followed his mother towards the door. They headed out and Disapparated.
Draco took his mother's hand and led her up to the cemetery toward the open grave site. A Ministry official stood nearby, waiting for Draco and his mother to arrive.
"Are we ready to begin?" he asked, clearly looking like he wished he were somewhere else.
Draco nodded and Narcissa began to cry. Draco sat, stone-faced throughout the Ministry wizard's speech. He wasn't listening at all, instead he was counting down the minutes until it was over.
"Would you like to make your final goodbyes?"
Draco nodded stiffly. He pulled his mother up and led her to the closed casket. She threw her body over the casket and cried loudly. Draco took a step back and shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably.
He looked away from his mother and preferred to stare intently at the gravestone of the person buried next to his father. He heard a shuffling behind him and turned around.
Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Kingsley stood behind him.
A sudden warmth flooded his heart. "What are you doing here?" he asked quietly. "I asked you not to come." He walked toward them and kissed Hermione. He shook hands with Harry, Ron, and Kingsley.
"I know," replied Hermione, looking somewhat embarrassed. "But we're here for you. And your mother."
Draco gave her a small smile. "Thank you," he said softly. He took her hand and together, they walked toward the casket.
The Ministry wizard glanced at Draco and gestured to Narcissa. Draco moved forward to pry her from Lucius' casket. Draco nodded to the wizard. Narcissa laid her head on Draco's shoulder and weeped loudly. The wizard said a few more words and with a wave of his wand, the casket disappeared into the ground and a pale gravestone appeared above it, giving out Lucius' dates of birth and death. Nothing else was written because Draco didn't know what else he should put.
"Kingsley, can you make sure my mother gets home safe? There's something else I need to do."
Kingsley nodded and put an arm around Narcissa, leading her from the cemetery. They walked a few paces behind the Ministry wizard who seemed keen to finally get out of there.
Draco reached into his pocket and pulled out the one thing that reminded him of his father: the snake head that Lucius had used as a wandholder. He held it in his hand for a few moments before stepping forward. He knelt and used his wand to drive it into the gravestone.
When Draco stood up, it looked as if there was a snake emerging from Lucius' grave. He turned back to Hermione, Harry, and Ron and saw that they were waiting for him.
Hermione held out a hand to Draco and squeezed it tightly. Harry and Ron nodded to him. None of them offered words of sympathy. It was okay, though. Draco knew that if they were to say something, they'd be lying. He was just glad that they were all there for him.
"Shall we pop in to The Leaky Cauldron for a drink?" Ron said as they left the cemetery.
They all glanced at Draco, who nodded. "Yeah, that sounds like a plan."
A few moments later, the four of them headed to a small booth in the corner. Tom, the bartender, brought them all a glass of firewhiskey. Wizards and witches all around the bar approached Harry and clamored to shake his hand. Harry smiled and shook hands with all of them until Tom shooed them away.
"So…have you all thought about what you're going to do now?" Harry asked, curiously. He looked into his full glass.
Hermione and Draco shrugged. "My mother wants me to go back to Hogwarts," said Draco. "I was thinking…I don't know…"
"I was going to try and find my parents," answered Hermione. "And go back to Hogwarts and finish my N.E.W.T.s."
"Well, Kingsley offered me a position in the Auror department. Even without going to school and training and all that," said Harry. "He said they were still trying to round up the last of the Death Eaters and needed all the help they could get. He said when they raided the manor, Draco, they found a bunch of Dark artifacts and all."
"I wouldn't be surprised," he replied.
"And Ron said he would join up, too."
"After helping George at the store," interjected Ron.
Harry nodded. "Hermione? Draco? How about you guys?"
Hermione shook her head. "No, I'd really like to finish my education."
"I'd figured you say that. How about you, Draco? What do you think?"
Draco shook his head, too. "An Auror? Me? No way."
"Why not?" asked Harry. "You'd be working with me and Ron."
"As fun as that sounds, I don't think so. Being an Auror means that you have to put your life on the line for people and sorry, but I don't do that."
"But—" Harry gestured around the table.
"Oh, come on, Harry. Hermione, Teddy, my mother, my aunt, even you and Ron are a different story. Risking my life for others? Not really my thing. That's more you, Harry."
"Nice to see the order in which you'd save us," said Ron dryly. "I'll be sure to not be near any of them if I am about to be killed." He smirked and nudged Harry. "Of course he wouldn't try and save others, he is a Slytherin, remember?"
Harry shook his head. "I had to try."
"I didn't say I wouldn't try and save people," protested Draco. "I just said I wouldn't put my life on the line for them." He looked at Hermione and placed his hand over hers. "I just…Aunt 'Dromeda told me that Uncle Ted was a Healer. At least until…he couldn't be one at St. Mungo's anymore since his blood status came up. And I was thinking maybe I'll look into that."
"You do realize that means you'd have to return to Hogwarts, right?"
"Of course I know that. I already said my mother wants me to go back."
"That sounds like a great plan, Draco," Hermione said, smiling at him.
"Oh good, you'll be a Healer, Draco," said Ron. "You know Harry always gets himself hurt."
"With the two of you as Aurors, you're probably going to need me to heal you right up."
"Just don't get on your bad side."
The four of them laughed. Harry raised his glass of firewhiskey. "To the future. And moving on from the past."
Draco, Hermione, and Ron repeated Harry's words and they clinked their glasses together before drinking.
A few days later, Draco struggled with a different tie in the mirror. It was the day of Fred Weasley's funeral and Draco didn't really want to go. He was tired of all the funerals and all the grieving. He hated the bad memories it brought up, but he always forced himself to remember that it would be a time to say a final goodbye. He thought about Nymphadora and Remus.
Draco hadn´t been friends with Fred Weasley, but he wanted to go to support Ron and Harry, who became good friends to him. He knew Hermione would be there as well since she considered the Weasley family as a second family. Narcissa told Draco that she'd be going since she still tried to extend a hand of friendship to the Weasley mother. She'd been trying to befriend the grieving mother, knowing that if she lost her son, she wouldn't know what to do with herself.
"Draco!" called Narcissa.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes!" he called. He took another look in the mirror and tossed the tie on his bed. It was useless. He ran downstairs, pausing to ruffle Teddy's golden brown hair. It was the precise shade of his father's, minus the gray hair.
A loud, harsh knocking was heard. Andromeda looked at the door in confusion.
"What-? I wasn't expecting anyone…" she said in confusion. She opened the door and saw an unfamiliar wizard in Ministry robes. "May I help you?"
He roughly handed her a long sheet of parchment paper before barging into the house. Two others followed him closely. His eyes sweeped the room before they rested on Draco.
"What?" Draco snapped.
"Draco Malfoy?"
"What's it to you?"
"Come with me."
"Who are you?" yelled Narcissa. She grasped Draco's arm and pulled him back. Teddy started to cry in his bassinet.
"I'm with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," he said harshly, grabbing Draco's left arm.
Draco pulled it back. "And that gives you license to manhandle me?"
"It does when you're a Death Eater." He roughly pulled up Draco's left sleeve and the fading Dark Mark gleamed against his pale skin. The Ministry wizard gave him a wicked smile and pulled the sleeve down. "That's all the evidence we need."
"Aurors bring them in!" yelled Andromeda.
"All departments are cleared to bring Death Eaters in."
"But—"
"Come with me." He drew his wand and held it at Draco's back.
"No—"
"I will take you in with excessive force if need be."
"Does the Minister know about this?" Narcissa yelled. She pulled Draco from the wizard's hands, but the wizard grabbed Draco tighter.
"The Minister gave us permission to bring in all suspected Death Eaters." He shoved Draco toward the door. "Let's go."
"Mother—"
"I'm right behind you, Draco!"
"No—go to the funeral! Tell—"
The wizard shoved him through the door and force-Apparated him to the Ministry. He magically chained Draco's hands behind his back and directed him to a small interrogation room.
"I'm not a Death Eater!" Draco yelled angrily.
"The Mark on your arm says different."
"Where have you been in the past year? I'm Draco Malfoy!"
"I know who you are. The Malfoy name means nothing to me. Other than a breeding ground for more Death Eaters."
"You fool! I helped Harry Potter!"
"Yeah, that's what they all say. That you turned spy for the Order of the Phoenix."
"I wasn't a spy!" he yelled. "I left them!"
"I heard the stories, Malfoy. You were dead, then Confunded. What's the truth?"
"You're a complete arse, that's the truth!"
The Ministry wizard leaned down and smiled. "But you're the one who's locked up. So what was it? Confunded? Dead? I personally never believed any of the stories. No way a Malfoy could be reformed."
"Well, that's good, because I'm obviously not dead." He kicked at the table in front of him. "I want to speak to the Minister."
"The Minister is busy today. Presiding over a funeral—Fred Weasley. I believe one of your people killed him."
Draco rolled his eyes and shook his head. It looked like he'd be waiting a few hours until Kingsley returned to the Ministry.
Kingsley started the eulogy and Hermione cut her eyes around the crowded gravesite. She was sitting amongst the Weasley family and Harry and looked around for Draco and Narcissa. She knew he didn't want to go—that he was tired of going to all of these funerals, but she thought that he would be there, at least for her.
She grew irritated when she saw that they weren't there. She thought for sure that Narcissa would be there since she wanted to befriend Mrs. Weasley.
Kingsley finished his speech and allowed the Weasleys a chance to approach Fred's casket. Harry moved closer to Hermione.
"Where's Draco?" he whispered.
Her eyes flashed angrily. "I don't know," she said through clenched teeth. "He said he would be here."
Harry nodded and squeezed her shoulder. "Well, I'm sure he has a good reason."
Hermione shook her head. "Whatever."
As soon as it was over, Hermione went back to The Burrow with the family and some of the members of the Order and some of Fred and George's friends from Hogwarts. She waited around for a few moments, ate a little bit, before deciding to leave.
She said her goodbyes to Mrs. Weasley and was on her way out when she noticed Harry behind her.
"Where are you going, Harry? I would've thought that you stayed longer."
Harry nodded. "Yeah, but I've got to head into the Ministry. It seems that the Department of Magical Law Enforcement caught a Death Eater. From some information they found from the Malfoy Manor. Where are you headed? Going to look for Draco?"
Hermione nodded vehemently. "He said he would be there."
They walked together to the edge of the gate and bid goodbye. They Disapparated at the same moment, but headed to different destinations.
Hermione reappeared on the street leading toward Andromeda's house. She hurried up the street and ran into the yard, not bothering to close the gate. She started banging on the door.
"DRACO!" she yelled. "YOU BETTER HAVE A GOOD REASON FOR NOT BEING THERE!"
She continued banging on the door. After a few moments, she found it odd that Andromeda or Narcissa hadn't opened the door. She stopped yelling and banging and even listened for Teddy's cries, forgetting that he would be in the house, too.
Silence.
"Draco?" she said, worry present in her voice.
A familiar stag Patronus ran up the yard and stopped before her.
"Hermione—Draco is the Death Eater they captured."
A sinking feeling filled Hermione's heart. She turned on the spot and Disapparated away.
It's not over yet! Thanks for reading and please review if you have the chance!