Let Me Help You

DracoxHermione

Rated NC-17

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling

Let Me Help You

Chapter 23

Hermione ignored the many owls that were finding their way to her, all of them delivering letters congratulating her for being a part of the force that won against Voldemort, others asking for interviews for the Daily Prophet about it as well as her relationship with the Malfoy heir. And then there were the many Howlers that came all cursing at and reprimanding her for being with the "no good Malfoy scum". She had begun to just burn the Howlers on site whenever they appeared and throw the letters requesting interviews for the Daily Prophet away. She didn't care about any of that. She was glad that the Wizarding World was free from Voldemort's tyranny and everyone was free, but her mind was only on one person at the moment.

Draco was still held within the Ministry awaiting a trial. She hadn't been able to visit him, no matter how much she pleaded or Harry tried to help her. They told her that they would have the trials following all of the funerals for all of those that lost loved ones, so she had to wait until all of those were over before getting any sort of word about her boyfriend.

That had been just three weeks ago and funerals were still ongoing. Harry owled her and told her he thought they would be coming to an end soon, so it wouldn't be long before the trials started. At the moment she was dressing in some black attire to attend another funeral and she would be going to meet Harry at Grimmauld Place, the funeral being that of Severus Snape. Though the man was dead the Ministry was set on making him out to be a horrible man for being a Death Eater, murdering Dumbledore, and allowing Death Eaters to torture students while he was Headmaster of Hogwarts. However Harry was able to present to them a lot of evidence refuting their claims and it became such that the late Severus Snape was deemed a hero of war and was to presented the Order of Merlin First Class at his funeral for his courageous actions and bravery during the war for the past several years. Harry would receive the Order for him as he felt it appropriate that he did so rather than anyone else.

Deeming herself presentable she left her room of the safe house she had spent many months in and headed down the stairs where Narcissa was seated in the living room. The blonde haired woman turned to look at the younger witch and gave her a small smile saying, "You look lovely."

"Thank you," Hermione replied softly. Walking over to her she sat and asked, "Are you sure you don't want to go?"

"It's not that I don't want to, but more like I'm certain my presence won't be tolerated. Not to mention I will probably also be put on trial for everything Lucius did for the Dark Lord, questioned about my involvement if they can bring any evidence that I was, and try to have me thrown in prison."

"They can't do that. The most they could do is restrict your magic."

Narcissa hummed before sighing and saying, "Trust me Hermione, I want to attend Severus' funeral. I loved him dearly and still do, but I think it's best if I stay here. But I do wish Draco was able to attend. Severus was the father Lucius couldn't be to him and I was devastated when you told me he witnessed his passing. I just wish he could give him a final farewell."

Hermione frowned and leant her head over on the older witch's shoulder saying, "You deserve to do so, too. I know you were looking forward to a life with him."

"True, but what's done is done. Besides, it's not like Severus didn't leave me with nothing."

"Yes, you have your memories with him, even if it was only for a short while."

Narcissa smiled softly and said, "Well yes, that and…" Narcissa placed a hand on her midsection and smiled.

Brown eyes widened in surprise and Hermione exclaimed, "You're pregnant?!"

"I wasn't sure at first, but I went to a Muggle hospital and had them test me. Though I'm forty-two and considered too old by Muggle standards, I am indeed pregnant. I wasn't sure I'd be able to conceive again after Draco, considering how hard it was for me to conceive him in the first place, but I'm thankful."

Hermione grinned brightly and hugged the older woman, congratulating her. She told her that if Severus was alive he would be ecstatic, or as ecstatic as he would allow himself to show in her presence. Narcissa returned the hug and thanked the brunette before urging her to leave lest she be late for the funeral. Hermione nodded and left the safe house, walking past the wards and Disapparating to Grimmauld Place to meet Harry.

At the funeral, Hermione sat listening to a few people, very few, speak about Severus and how he was in life. Both she and Harry had spoken, seeing as Ron was going to do no such thing. She watched as Professor Flitwick hopped down from the podium and Professor McGonagall took his place to say her piece. She was apparently the last to speak about him, seeing as someone had brought Dumbledore's portrait to speak as well. As the Deputy Headmistress, now appointed Headmistress spoke, Harry nudged her a bit and whispered, "Look over there."

Brown eyes followed Harry's finger where it was point and they widened as a gasp left her lips. There, standing between two Aurors, was Draco. He was actually here, able to attend his godfather's funeral. Turning to face Harry she asked softly, "How?"

Harry smiled and said, "I figured it was the least I could do before his trial. We didn't even have a funeral for Sirius and I would have given anything to say 'goodbye' to him one more time. Why can't Malfoy have this chance with Snape?"

Tears filled Hermione's eyes and she hugged her best friend close, whispering 'thank you' to him before standing and making her way towards Draco and the Aurors. When she reached them she ignored how the Aurors tensed at how close she was and looked at the love saying, "Hi."

"Hi," Draco replied with a small smile. "They allowed me to come and see him off. They won't let me speak but…this is enough."

Hermione could see the tears standing in his grey eyes, could see him trying to swallow past the lump that was settled in his throat. Stepping up to him she cupped his face and said, "It's alright. You're here now and I know he knows you are here. You loved him and that's all that matters. Just remember him as you will and continue to make him proud. You are his son, after all."

A sob escaped Draco's mouth at his girlfriend's words, his tears finally escaping his eyes and rolling down his cheeks. Hermione wrapped her arms around Draco and allowed him to cry into her neck, her own tears falling down her face as she grieved with him. His hands were bound so he couldn't wrap his arms around her, but he held onto her dress as he cried, letting his pain out once more as he grieved his godfather. The Aurors that were standing by them looked at each other before giving each other a nod and stepping away and allowing the couple some privacy as they grieved the man whose funeral they were attending.

The other funeral attendees' attention was drawn to them as Draco's pained sobbing was heard rather loudly. Though some there didn't care much for the Malfoy family, even they could tell just how much the wizard meant to the young Malfoy heir, some of them even beginning to shed tears as well. Even the professors shed some as well seeing how broken Draco was over the death of his godfather. Harry looked at his rival crying in his best friend's arms and his heart went out to him, knowing exactly how he felt. Snape may have been a git to him and everyone else, but to Draco he was the closest thing to his father, just like Sirius had been for him.

A week had passed since Severus' funeral and the other funerals had finally wrapped up. Now it was time for the trials against the captured Death Eaters, Snatchers, and accomplices. Many of them, such as the Lestrange brothers and Dolohov, were thrown back in Azkaban with the promise of being Kissed should they ever escape again. Lucius was another one of those Death Eaters that met that fate. It was a very long week for all of those that were captured. It wasn't until Thursday that Hermione was given notice of Draco's trial. She was anxious to get there as Harry would be waiting for her to arrive. Narcissa had disappeared that morning when she had gotten up, but she wasn't particularly surprised to see her at the Ministry when she arrived. Apparently Harry had convinced Kingsley to have a private trial for Narcissa, seeing as the public would immediately demand one of her because she was Lucius' wife, and he did with little to no evidence against her, thus dubbing her innocent.

Before long it was finally time for Draco's trial. Hermione sat with Harry and Narcissa as she watched Aurors bring her lover into the courtroom. They sat him in the single chair that was placed in the center of the room and magically bound his wrists and ankles to it to prevent him from escaping. One of them poured Veritaserum into his mouth and his swallowed it, his grey eyes glazing over and his pupils widened a bit. Once it was apparent he was fully under the influence of the potion, Kingsley banged his gavel and said in a loud, authoritative voice, "We will now begin the trial for one Draco Malfoy and his involvement under You-Know-Who. Lawyer Davies, you may start."

Davies nodded and stepped up to Draco, beginning his light interrogation. Looking at the pale, platinum blond headed boy he asked, "What is your full name?"

"Draco Lucius Malfoy," Draco answered, almost emotionless.

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"How long have you been a Death Eater?"

"A year."

"When did you receive the Dark Mark?"

"The summer before my Sixth Year."

"Did you voluntarily take the Mark?"

"No, I was forced and had no choice."

"Interesting. Tell the jury why if you can."

"The Dark Lord threatened to kill my mother. He was dissatisfied for my father's incompetence on completing any task given to him. He therefore decided I would be the one to carry out his wishes and forced me to take it; otherwise he would kill my mother if I refused."

"So you took the Dark Mark and became a Death Eater to save your mother. How noble, I must admit."

The crowd around them began to murmur, many feeling empathy for the Malfoy heir while others were still shaking their heads in denial, not trusting the heir's words, even with him under Veritaserum. Once the murmuring quieted down Davies began to speak once more.

"You are a Pureblood, a descendent of one of the most prestigious Pureblood bloodlines. You have been fed your entire life that Pureblood is the best blood and that those of anything lower, especially those of Muggleborn blood are filthy. And You-Know-Who's agenda was to rid the Wizarding World of those without Pureblood, his followers believing his stance. Do you still believe this?"

Draco shook his head and answered, "No."

"Oh? And why is that? Is it because you are in a relationship with one Hermione Granger? I'm sure it is well known you have called her a hateful slur on many occasions."

"I…" Draco seemed to struggle against answering, but eventually he did. "Yes, I once believed in all of the blood purity rubbish, but that was because I was raised that way by my father. I eventually came to realize that it didn't matter what blood someone had, because any witch or wizard, born a Pureblood, Half-Blood, or Muggleborn could be as powerful as the next. I stopped believing in it long before I began a friendship and relationship with Hermione, but I had to keep up appearances that I did because of my predicament. Hermione understood that, even after I let her know the truth and called her a Mudblood in public afterwards; she understood me."

Davies pondered the young man's words before turning to face Hermione. Looking her in her eye he asked, "Ms. Granger, did you have any doubt of Mr. Malfoy's words when he said all of this to you?"

Hermione blinked, surprised at suddenly being called out, but then shook her head and answered, "No, I didn't. I could hear the truth and sincerity in his words and I knew then that he wasn't the same Malfoy I had once despised."

Everyone began to suddenly speak at once, many people reacting negatively to Hermione's words while some reacted positively. It was apparent that with the new evidence presented about the young Malfoy, and from his own lips at that, the crowd was suddenly divided. Kingsley had been sitting quietly, soaking in every word that had been said. He honestly didn't think ill of Draco, just his father and by extension his family name. But nonetheless the young wizard seemed genuine, even with the Veritaserum.

Taking his gavel Kingsley banged it on the podium to quiet the courtroom, making everyone settle down. When it became apparent that everyone had he said, "I believe Lawyer Davies has a few more questions to ask Mr. Malfoy, and then we will move on to the testimonies. Davies, if you will."

Davies nodded and proceeded to question Draco about his works for Voldemort while in the school, asking him about him cursing Katie Bell, followed by poisoning Ron. Draco admitted to both of those, not that he had much choice, but did tell that their cursing and poisoning was completely unintentional, as it had been made to be for Dumbledore. When asked about how he helped Death Eaters infiltrate Hogwarts, he admitted to mending the Vanishing Cabinet and allowing the Death Eaters to pass through. Of course he was ordered to do this based on the threat of his mother being killed, to which all of this information was written down. After a while Lawyer Davies concluded his questioning and Kingsley opened the floor for those who wished to speak on behalf of Draco.

Other than Harry, Hermoine, and Narcissa, no one spoke for him. But it wasn't needed, for after all of the evidence and testimonies were presented and looked over, the jury voted that Draco Lucius Malfoy, though guilty of certain crimes, was essentially innocent due to the fact he was forced to act in accordance of Voldemort against his will for the sake of his mother. For most of the jury, it was easy to see that Draco had just been a scared young man acting to save himself and his mother; who could possibly blame him for trying to do that? They had to admit that if they had been in his position they would have done the same. Even so, Draco's wand was put under a restriction and was to be monitored for two years, he himself confined to Malfoy Manor for a year and not allowed to go beyond the grounds and wards surrounding it. Even so, it didn't matter. He was free and Hermione could embrace him once more.

The moment Draco was given the antidote the Veritaserum and released from his magical restraints, Hermione rushed to him and enveloped him in a close hug. Wrapping his own arms around the brunette he softly said, "Hey."

Hermione sighed happily and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Draco replied.

"Draco," Narcissa's voice called from beside of them. Pulling away from each other they turned to see Narcissa making her way towards them, her icy blue eyes trained on her son. The blond wizard let go of his girlfriend just in time as his mother wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. "Oh, I'm so happy you are alright. I've missed you dearly."

"I've missed you too, mother," Draco replied as he lightly snuggled into her embrace.

Movement caught Draco's attention and he turned his head to see Harry standing nearby. Pulling away from his mother he turned toward the dark haired wizard and said, "Potter, I…thank you."

Harry nodded and seemed to fidget for a moment before sticking his hand out saying, "No problem, and I hope that we can be…friends? Yeah, friends…one day."

Draco looked at the outstretched hand, his mind briefly flashing back to when he had first offered his friendship to Potter, doing this exact same gesture. That had been the start of everything going downhill for them, but maybe now it would be different. They weren't the same boys now that they once had been at eleven years old. It was time to put their petty feelings aside, he supposed. Smiling softly he grasped Harry's hand and shook it replying, "Yes, I'd like that."

Hermione smiled at the display and hugged Harry before moving to stand next to Draco again, her hand finding his and holding it tightly. Harry gave them a small smile and said, "I'll see you guys around. Take care of her, Malfoy."

"Don't worry, I will," Draco replied, grey eyes looking into brown lovingly. The brunette smiled sweetly and leant her head against his shoulder, neither of them noticing Harry walking away.

Narcissa smiled at the young couple before saying, "Well, the moment Draco gets his wand back, we need to get back to the safe house to gather our things and move back into Malfoy Manor. Hermione, you are welcome to stay with us, unless you plan to move in with Mr. Potter."

"The hell she will," Draco replied, grey eyes blazing in jealousy. Hermione giggled a bit before looking at the Malfoy matriarch and nodding saying, "I'd love to."

"Good."

Once Draco was handed his wand back with its new restrictions, the three of them began to walk out of the Ministry. As they walked Narcissa said casually, "Oh right Draco, remind me to tell the House Elves to set up the nursery again."

Draco frowned and asked, "Why?"

Smirking the blonde woman answered, "Because we'll be having a new edition to the family."

Grey eyes widened before they looked down at Hermione, their gaze drifting down to her midsection, then moving back to her face. Blinking in surprise he asked, "We are?"

The brunette looked back at the blond male before laughing out loud. She brought a hand over her mouth to contain the rest of her laughter, but it didn't work. Finally getting her bearings she said, "Yes, you're going to have a little brother or sister."

"Brother…or…sis…WHAT?!"

Narcissa chuckled as she walked away, listening to her son follow behind her demanding she explain herself, Hermione trying to calm him down through her mirth. Despite all that they had gone through, the future she believed was rather bright.