This chapter spreads across a few months, and I don't mean to rush, but as far as going day-to-day, it would be pretty boring-at least it would be for me to write it. I appreciate everyone's reviews, and I am sorry about what I had to do (I know I didn't HAVE to), but it's all about character development, and problems. And maybe I just liked to stir the shit. Meh.
Thank you, thank you, for reading. This chapter and the next wrap up the First Year. I would really like feedback about if we want the next year chaptered out, or skip to a little bit older, like maybe to fourth year? LEMME KNOW! I love getting reviews, I won't lie!
I don't own this, or anything, promise.
The dungeons at the Ministry were limited, as they always have been. The Ministry was never a place meant to hold prisoners for more than a few days, but it was the last week of January, and the dungeons were full of Death Eaters, awaiting their trials. The evidence the ones held in the cells were extensive, but each person had a right to due process. Generally, any Death Eater that was caught at Malfoy Manor the night of January 2nd was sentenced to die via a Dementor's Kiss after a number of years in Azkaban. That included all the death eater's that had been captured during the attack on the aurors, and at Honeydukes.
In the circular chamber of the Wizengamot, Lucius Malfoy awaited his fate. Barty Crouch Sr. was the head judge and had been particularly nasty in his rulings ever since his son was killed in Azkaban. Lucius was forced to listen to all of the people he had helped torture and kill, the forefront of that list being Fabian and Gideon Prewitt, those aurors he had killed during the First Wizarding war. After the deaths, then he was accused of being there for the attack on the aurors and injuring an auror-in-training, Nymphadora Tonks with fiendfyre, as well as the murder of Mrs. Flume, and the kidnapping and torturing of Mr. Flume. Finally at the end of his charges, was leading the Death Eaters during the break out as well as housing them-an act of treason it was called. Barty Crouch Sr.'s lip twitched faintly when he read the sentencing.
"Lucious Malfoy you are found guilty of all these things, and will receive the Dementor's Kiss. Effective immediately." Lucius' air of confidence was destroyed when he discovered he was going to die, in a few seconds. His eyes widened in horror and he tried to think of a way to get out if it-but his honeyed words failed him. He couldn't think of anything to say.
The damned wizards didn't even take him out of the room to do it. They brought in a Dementor and a room full of wizards watched as Lucius received the Dementor's kiss. His body was taken away, the Dementor led out of the room, and the proceedings continued.
The next person up was Rabastan Lestrange. He was similarly charged of the murders and tortures he had committed during the First Wizarding war, though the newest addition was of Narcissa Malfoy. He was found guilty and was sentenced to five years in Azkaban, with the inevitable end of the Dementor's kiss. Bellatrix Lestrange was ordered to five years as well, ending in a Dementor's kiss.
The Aurors and members of the Order were there for all of the trials. They all gave their side of the story, and told the tale of the involvement of all of the death eaters in the Battle at Malfoy Manor. Sirius Black and Andromeda Tonks were excused of these trials, for their 'emotional turmoil' that they were experiencing.
They remained at Grimmuald Place with Sybil Black, Rose Potter, and Ginny and Molly Weasley; Andromeda went home to her husband Ted. As statistics go, their mission had been a success, yet they grieved the loss. Narcissa Malfoy had allowed for all of their plans to work. If it hadn't been for her, then a countless number of things could have gone wrong. A countless number of wizards or muggles could have died before the death eaters were caught and dealt with. She allowed for this breakout to come to a swift end, those that escaped were At Large, with posters everywhere. She was the hero, not the aurors; not the Order of the Phoenix.
She was buried with honors, with a huge ceremony. She was buried without her son there. Sirius had argued extensively, he was going to be the one to tell Draco, not anyone else in the Ministry. Draco knew Sirius, and he trusted him. It was still hard for the man to tell the eleven year old.
He didn't know how.
Hermione had insisted they go to the lake, to see it frozen. Draco argued that she could see it from Gryffindor tower and that trudging all the way there in the snow to 'look at something' she could already see was ridiculous. Hermione certainly didn't listen to him. It was Saturday, and they had cause to celebrate. They were undefeated in the Dueling Club-the only time they had suffered a loss was at the hands of each other. They were the envy of the other students in the club, and the quick and silent attacks in the corridors seemed to stop entirely. She wanted to do something they hadn't done yet, and enjoy it. Malfoy was not going to rain on her parade.
Potter had actually been correct in his assumption that Professor Snape would divide up the club meetings, because so many students wanted to join. First through third years met Tuesday and Friday, Fourth through Sixth years met Monday and Thursday, and Seventh years on Wednesday and Saturday in the Great Hall with Professor Snape. Generally the first meeting day of the week was the practicing of new spells, or the fixing of learned ones and the second meeting day was spent dueling. Snape let two groups duel at once, the winners of those two would get their names taken down onto a list. Snape hadn't yet revealed why. Yesterday was the first dueling day that Snape had allowed for the students to pick who they wanted to duel. Hermione and Draco were the only two who had been challenged by anyone else and they beat all of their opponents. Which, of course, was something to celebrate.
The walk down to the lake was pleasant, whether Draco would admit it or not. They talked about yesterday's club meeting, and how no one except Michael and Terry could hold a candle to them-yet even the two Ravenclaw's couldn't win against them. Snape did his best not to show his favoritism, yet no one else received a few claps after their duels. It was a strange feeling, of having Severus Snape the sneering and unloving professor clap for them. He never smiled, at least it was never confirmed by more than two people if he did smile, but everyone could agree that he liked Granger and Malfoy. Of course, all bets were off in Potions class. He hated everyone there.
The scene at the lake was as breathtaking as Hermione imagined. "Yeah, because it is cold," Draco sneered good heartedly. She shoved him sideways and glared at him, for making fun of it. He stopped himself before he fell into the snowy beach and looked around the lake. He had to admit, it was awesome.
The frozen lake reflected the mountain above it like a painting. Birds flew around looking for food, and the snow faintly fell from the sky like there was all the time in the world. Draco allowed himself a smile as he looked around, and Hermione glanced at him to catch it.
He would deny it if it ever came up in a conversation. An owl called from behind them, and as they turned to look, the tawny thing dropped a letter into Draco's hands and left them just as quick as it came.
He opened the letter with difficulty-thick gloves didn't allow for deft movement-and eventually got the letter open. "Come to my office at once. Signed, Headmaster Dumbledore," Draco read aloud. Hermione pursed her lips as she thought about what the summons was for.
"Suppose it is about the Dueling Club?" She asked. Draco shrugged as he looked over it, he had an ominous feeling.
Hermione decided she was going to go with him-because it didn't specifically say to come alone-and wouldn't hear of Draco going alone.
When they got into Dumbledore's office, Draco was surprised to see his 'uncle' Sirius there. Dumbledore was seated behind his desk, but he rose as the two children walked in. Dumbledore wasn't surprised to find that Hermione had come with him, yet all the same grieved. Sirius met the boy a few steps away from the desk and sank down to Draco's eye level. Sirius glanced to Hermione for a moment, as if considering having her leave, yet refrained.
Draco, at first, considered this meeting to be about good news, but Draco knew his uncle's face, and this wasn't a happy visit. Draco's face fell as Sirius took his hand. "Son," Sirius began. He always called him that, and it usually caused him to smile, but Draco's face remained blank now, "on January second, the aurors and the Order of the Phoenix attacked the hideout of the escaped death eaters. During this mission, eighty percent of them were caught. The records will forever say that this mission was a success," he paused then, and Draco felt the first inklings of panic well in his chest. "There were casualties to this mission." Hermione unconsciously reached out and took Draco's hand. The boy held fast.
Sirius rubbed his thumb across the back of Draco's hand. He seemed to have trouble getting out what he was trying to say, but soon managed, "Rabastan Lestrange delivered the killing curse to your mother before other aurors were able to stop him, after a long and difficult duel," he said, his eyes glancing between Draco's. It took a few moments for Draco to fully grasp what he was saying. Hermione's hold on his hand tightened.
"My mom?" Draco asked, his voice breaking, "she's dead?" Tears streamed down the faces of Draco and Hermione, but Sirius looked at him with a solid face. The man nodded, and had to hug Draco before the boy fell. Hermione dropped his hand and joined in the hug as well.
"Her sacrifice allowed for the safety of countless others. We would not have been able to get them if she had not helped, Draco. Your mother is a hero." Sirius promised. Draco continued to cry, however, because no matter how much Sirius promised him she had done well or that she was a hero, Draco would think of her as the teary eyed parent on platform 9 and 3/4s, and the stoic picture he received at Christmas, and the hurried note before Christmas, and her yelling at him to not leave a messy room for Dobby. Not the sacrificial hero. She was his mother, and she would never scold him again. She would never hold him again. She would never smile at him again.
"What am I going to do?" Draco managed to asked after a while. Sirius still held the boy.
"You'll live with me," he said, "Narcissa asked of it." Draco buried his face in his uncle's chest, as he wished the pain to go away. It didn't. Hermione stayed with him. She had dropped the hug, but still stood there close by with her face in her hands, trying to put a stop to her tears. Yet she could only picture the woman Draco had described to her, no longer being in his life, and what it would be like if her own mother was gone forever.
Sirius held him for a long time, Dumbledore silently watching, and Hermione there next to him. Dumbledore stood and crossed the room. "Draco, my boy, we are here for you. I've alerted your professors and you are excused for classes this week." Draco pulled away from Sirius nodding his head, with his palms rubbed into his eyes, as if that alone would stop the tears. Draco drew in a deep breath and moved his hands away from his eyes-red and puffy already. Hermione had managed to stop crying and looked similar.
"Thank you, Headmaster," Draco managed. Dumbledore put a consolatory hand on his shoulder and then went to Hermione and led her a little ways away, to speak with her. Sirius began talking to Draco about his new living arrangements during the summer.
"Draco will need his friends now, Hermione," Dumbledore told her, she nodded, "he'll need to grieve, and he'll need help getting his life together and moving on. The death in the family...well the pain never goes away, but one learns to live with it and carry on." Hermione wasn't curious enough to find out who Dumbledore was speaking about-at least it seemed like he was referring to his own experience with death-and drew in a breath. She would need to be strong for him.
"I promise, Headmaster, I'll be there for him and help him."
He smiled faintly at her and nodded. "I think it is time for dinner now," he said as a dismissal. Hermione nodded but food was the furthest thing from her mind.
Dumbledore had spoken loud enough for Draco and Sirius to overhear. Draco mumbled something to Sirius, who nodded. "I'll take you up to bed, then," Sirius promised.
Hermione promised him that she would have Michael or Terry bring him some food after dinner, and he only nodded. She gave him a tight hug before she left and went to dinner. Sirius had a hand around Draco the entire way to Ravenclaw tower. Draco was too emotional to answer the eagle's riddle, but Sirius managed to and Sirius literally did take him up to his bed. Draco laid down only after removing his shoes and took out the picture of his mother from his pillow.
"She was supposed to be safe. In Spain," Draco said. Sirius sat on the edge of the bed.
"I know, but she knew what she was doing, Draco. She did this for you, to protect you. The Death Eaters are back in prison where they belong."
"My fa- as well? Is he back in Azkaban?" Draco looked up from his picture to Sirius, who looked away.
"He-he was given the Dementor's Kiss immediately after his trial, for his crimes," Sirius told him truthfully. Some of the Order had argued to not tell him, but Sirius didn't think lying was a good way to start being his guardian. Draco's expression didn't change. His eyes wandered back to his photo.
"So I'm an orphan; truly," he said hollowly. Sirius put his hand on Draco's arm to call his attention.
"You have me. Sybil, and Andromeda, and Nymphadora. We are your family now, Draco," Sirius promised. Sirius managed to stop his chin from quivering before Draco noticed. The boy sat up and wrapped his arms around Sirius tightly.
"Okay," he said into Sirius' collar. Sirius held him like that, half curled into his lap. After a while, Draco relaxed and he realized the boy fell asleep. Slowly he laid the boy down and pulled the blanket around him. Sirius had forgotten to give him the gift he brought, so he took the mirror out of his pocket, with the note explaining what it was, and kissed the boy on the forehead before he left.
Hermione sat in the Great Hall, hating the raucous laughter that filled her ears. She hated it. They needed to be silent, for Narcissa Malfoy. For Draco. They needed to know.
The Daily Prophet hadn't said anything about the night of January 2nd, not about any trials held by the Wizengamot; eerily so. Why was it held so under wraps? Wasn't it good news that the dark wizards were back in prison?
Harry and Neville noticed her posture, and her out of character glare, and asked her what was wrong. She felt tears well into her eyes as she looked between them. "You should know!" She replied, "Your parents were there!" The look of utter bewilderment that crossed their faces stunned her for a moment. She placed her elbows on the tables and put her head in her hands, rubbing her face. She was tired, and felt horrid in ways she had never fathomed.
"The aurors and the Order of the Phoenix launched an attack on the Death Eaters, the day everyone got back from holiday," she began tersely. The look of surprise continued. "There was one casualty, Narcissa Malfoy." She said, and rolled her lips over her teeth. Neville dropped his eyes to his lap and Harry looked over his shoulder and realized Draco wasn't there.
"Is he okay?" He asked quietly. Hermione shrugged.
"About as okay as he can be, after the news he got," she answered honestly. Harry nodded and then furrowed his brow.
"Where is he...well where is he going to live, during the summers?" He asked. Hermione wasn't sure if it was her business revealing all this information, but she couldn't come up with a good enough reason not to.
"With Sirius Black. Narcissa made him Draco's godfather." Harry's eyebrows lifted at that and then he nodded faintly and then glanced between Neville and Ron. Over the past couple of weeks, Ron's silence was still present, but he didn't scowl as much anymore. He would occasionally say things that contributed to the conversation but nothing was ever directly meant for Hermione. She just ignored him mostly. Now, he looked solemn along with the rest of them.
"Should we do something?" Neville asked, "For Draco?" Hermione shrugged. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that Michael, Terry, and Anthony were getting up to leave. She swung herself around and went over to them quickly, to tell them to take Draco some food.
Harry and Neville and Ron leaned in to discuss what they could do to help the Ravenclaw boy.
Draco woke up suddenly, as if he hadn't existed for a moment and then there he was. It took him a moment to remember the news he got, and his expression fell. Terry had shaken him awake; he had a plate of food in his hand. Draco looked at it, remembering Hermione's promise and he mumbled his thanks and took the plate.
He took a bite of chicken and chewed and swallowed, but he didn't taste it. Terry and Michael sat next to him, and Anthony sat down on the bed across from them. Anthony had nothing against Draco, and liked him well enough, they just didn't have the bond that the others had made over the holiday. Anthony wasn't resentful, he just felt like he was missing out sometimes.
"I'm real sorry mate," Michael said, Terry nodded and mumbled the same. Draco sighed and nodded, not taking his eyes off his plate.
"Almost a month ago, it happened," he said. They saw the tears fall from his eyes and land on his plate but didn't say anything. "She's been gone a month and I only learned about it today. I feel guilty for not knowing...for laughing, and breathing, and having fun while she was dead. They should have-... They should have told me." Draco put his hands against his eyes and Terry took away the plate, in case it fell. Michael put an arm around him.
"They were trying to look out for you," Michael offered but the eleven year olds weren't equipped with the emotional depth to fully understand the situation. The worse things those boys have experience with their parents was disappointment or disobedience.
"It'll get better," Anthony tried to say, "she saved people. Who knows how many? She's almost like Severus, when he killed You Know Who." Draco laughed sardonically.
"So her memory with be a little more famous, now. Instead of being the pariah she was all my life?" Draco didn't seem to happy about the idea at first, but then paused and rethought it. "Sorry," he mumbled, "that is a good thing. She has always been a good person to me, and now everyone will see that." He glanced apologetically up at Anthony, who smiled slightly at him.
"You don't have to apologize, mate. Anyway, I'm going to sleep." Anthony patted Draco on the shoulder and then went to his bed on the other side of the room. Terry and Michael distracted Draco by having him tell stories about his mom, and who she really was. They talked well into the night, but eventually Terry and Michael were too tired to carry on.
Draco reclined onto his pillows and looked at the picture of his mother, who smiled back at him. He wished he could walk into the picture with her, but that was impossible.
The Defense Against the Dark Arts class became the highlight of most student's schedules, thanks to Tonks. She had a knack for translating Moody's Scottish butchery of English, as well as what he actually said. She was fun and friendly, but she wouldn't hesitate to smack someone on the back of the head for being foolish.
She didn't give that many detentions, or even deduct points though, so no one complained about getting smacked. Moody didn't seem to notice if a loud slap interrupted his lecture. Once, he had to stop and laugh.
Tonks had been a great improvement to an abrasive and intimidating professor. Today, it was the first year Ravenclaw and Gryffindor's. Tonks had chatted up Harry, Neville, and Ron before class had to start. They pointed out that Draco had returned to class and she looked for her cousin, he was sitting in the front row with a poofy haired girl, that answered all of the questions that were asked.
Tonks admired her intellect, but she could stand to tone it down a little.
When she walked passed the blond boy, she put a supportive hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze, he looked at the hand before he looked at her, and the smile that touch his face was so small, she wished he would have just glared at her. She gave him a supportive smile, even if her heart was breaking for him. He was her cousin so she suffered the loss, but Narcissa had been all the boy had. Today was his first day back into class after a week of grieving. The day after Draco had been told the news, he asked Dumbledore if he couldn't leave Hogwarts for the week he was out of classes, if he could move his stuff into Sirius' now, instead of having to dread it until the end of term. Sirius was there to collect him before lunch. Sirius had helped the boy pack up his room in Malfoy Manor and take anything else he wanted, to his new home at the house of Black, Dobby had also gone with them. Draco hadn't taken anything that wasn't 'his' except a perfume bottle of his mother's. Sirius told Tonks that Draco sprayed it into his pillows.
She had to distract herself if she was going to make it through this class without crying. This week was about Doxys. Alastor didn't need her assistance for this lesson, so he had her go up into his office to grade papers from some of the other classes.
Tonks hated this part the most. Some of these students had horrible writing. Tonks had left the door open, so she heard the tone of the lecture more than the actual thing, but she grinned to herself when she picked up the already familiar cadence of Draco's little friend. It never failed. Tonks was still smiling as she finished the grading. She folded the parchments back up, roped them together, and shrank them so the bundle was the size of her hand.
Just as she stood, Alastor dismissed the class. Tonks went to the door and looked down at the steps, "Draco!" She called. The boy gave pause, told his little girlfriend something who smiled and then left, and then walked back inside the classroom. Alastor mumbled at her to get out of his way as she went down the steps and he, up. She rolled her eyes at the man as she went passed.
"I saw that Nymphadora," the old coot sneered. Tonks let out a little laugh with another eyeroll. Draco waited for her near the middle of the room.
She slung an arm around him in a hug, "how are you, cousin?" She asked, pulling him back to get a better look at him. He looked haggard, for an eleven year old. His eyes were glassy and there were bags under his eyes-again weird for an eleven year old. She hugged him again and rubbed his back.
"I'm okay, Dora. Not good, but okay. I guess. Sybil and Sirius were really welcoming." She kissed him on the head before he had had enough and pushed her hands away. "Stop. Ew. Teacher's assistant," he flapped his hands at her to get her to stop. She grinned and rubbed her knuckles across the top of his head, messing up his hair.
"Quiet, weasel," she said. "Come to me if you need to talk, okay? If you need anything, let me know." She held his eyes with her gaze until he nodded.
"I'm not used to this cousin being nice to me," Draco said with a wave of his hand in her direction. She rolled her eyes and pulled him into a hug again. "Aaaaah!" He complained.
"I can give you detention, so stuff your whining, Ravenclaw." As much as there wasn't a rivalry between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff-but honestly, no rivalry on the earth could hold a candle to that of Slytherin and Gryffindor-the houses didn't have to like each other. He stuck his tongue out at her, much like the kid he was.
"Hufflepuff!" He said like it was an obscene curse word, she thumped her chest.
"And proud of it!" She declared.
"I'm going to be late for lunch," Draco complained, she smiled and wrapped her arm about his shoulders and led him out.
"Can't come between a kid and their food," she said kindheartedly as they walked. They didn't talk about much else-except that Draco had considered going to the Quidditch World Cup over the summer, because his other Ravenclaw buddies were going. She thought it'd be a good idea, and offered to chaperon for him. Naturally, he didn't like the idea of having an adult shadow him, but if one had to do that, Tonks wouldn't be obnoxious about it. Or maybe she would, just to get on his nerves? He could see her doing that.
They had just reached the corridor before the Great Hall when she gave him some space, since other people were milling around now. He smiled again at her before they split ways-Tonk's wasn't hungry and wanted to go see Hagrid about something-and Draco walked into the Great Hall.
He hadn't been to breakfast-he had slept through it-so he couldn't possible have noticed the change in the attitude of the entire student body. When Draco walked in, a slow silence rippled across the room as his presence was noticed. They just watched him.
Before, he had always been regarded like someone noticing they stepped in shit. He was used to that; he wasn't used to this. He steeled his nerves and walked to his spot on Ravenclaw table.
The first time someone reached out to touch him, he jumped. It was a seventh year Ravenclaw girl, with a sad look in her eye. The next one was a fifth year Gryffindor, one he specifically remembered jinxing his pants to fly to his ankles every few steps. As he walked, more and more people on each table reached out to pat his back, or mutter something supportive. He was a few seats away from his own when Harry Potter stood in his way. Draco blinked at him, a deep blush was on his face already from all of the attention. Harry held out his hand for Draco to shake, "sorry, mate." He said. Draco took it and shook it. Harry then pulled him into a hug. Draco blinked a few times, the awkwardness threatened to choke him. He cleared his throat and Harry retracted his arms.
"Thanks," Draco managed. Harry clapped a hand on his shoulder and then sat down. Hermione wasn't there in her usual seat. He blinked, surprised, and then turned to sit in his usual seat. Hermione was smiling at him from the Ravenclaw table. He sank down next to her. "Hullo." He said, the conversation resumed in the Great Hall like someone called the order for it. "What the hell was that?" He asked. Hermione smacked his shoulder with her book-of-the-day.
"Language!" She snapped. Draco gave her a short glare before he asked his question again.
"The Daily Prophet did a spread...about the Battle of Malfoy Manor...it has been in the news all week now," Hermione said. "I've put...this together." She handed him the book she had slapped him with, and he saw on the front was a silver embossing of his mothers name. He opened the cover, "NARCISSA MALFOY, TRAGIC HERO," was the first story title. It was a clipping from the Daily Prophet and held a picture of his mother, an old one of her sitting in her favorite chair. Draco felt a choking sensation, but from his heart, as he looked at her. He read a few lines of the page, which detailed what she had done for the Order and for the Ministry.
She had "fearlessly entered the fray solo, with no means of rescue if her mission failed, to allow for the good guys to enter the manor of the unsuspecting dark wizards. Twenty-four wizards were taken into custody, one killed by his own spell, and only five escaped." Draco read a loud to himself as he looked at it and then went to the next one, this one was about her life before, how she had been instrumental in the incarceration of several wizards-which now she was praised for being 'brave,' when before people had called her a traitor to her 'own kind.' It was as if the bad stuff had all been erased by her sacrifice. Draco flipped through the rest of the pages, each one causing a bit more of a reaction by him. When he was done and closed the book, he realized Hermione had put an arm around him, to comfort him.
He hastily wiped his eyes and hugged her back, "Thanks 'Mione," he mumbled half-way. She smiled faintly and nodded to him.
"It's no problem," she said, "I've also written down all the things that you missed while you were away," she promised. Draco had to laugh, because of course she would.
"aaaand we have been organizing your mail," Michael spoke up, giving Draco a start, he sort of ignored them since he sat down, which caused him to immediately apologize.
Naturally, they would hear nothing of it, so he asked instead, "My mail?"
"Mate, it's dwarfed your bed. I dunno what you are gonna do with it," Terry told him with a laugh, "Owl's come in through the post for you, drops it at the table so we take it back to your room. I think the house elves also bring in more-cause I swear it gets bigger while we sleep."
"What all is it?" Draco asked intrigued, and alarmed.
"Well we haven't read any of it, but consolations, small tokens of appreciation, I suppose?" Anthony spoke up with a small shrug.
"And candy. Lots of candy," Michael admitted. Draco gave a snort of laughter.
"But you haven't gone through it?"
"Oh never!" Terry said and they all had a laugh at that. Then Draco remembered his initial question to sitting down and he looked at Hermione.
"Aren't you going to get in trouble for sitting here?" He asked. She smiled at him, then looked over his shoulder to the professor table.
"It turns out that it isn't against school rules to sit at a different Houses table...but I still got permission." She smiled kindly at him and then took a few bites of her food, and was absorbed back into reading her book. Draco rolled his eyes a little and looked back at his guy friends.
"I'm going to be going to the World Cup this summer," Draco said excitedly. The guys exchanged looks before they smiled back at him.
"That's great! Who will you be going with?" The question got a nudge in the ribs, a painful one judging by Anthony's expression, he rubbed the spot with a glare at Michael.
"Tonks said she'd go," Draco said, distractedly. He knew why Michael nudged him in the ribs, but he didn't want them doing that. "Guys. Look, I appreciate the mail being taken care of, and the homework-" He actively had to make sure Hermione was a part of the conversation or she would be silent the entire time. "-and the book. I really do, but I want to...to move on. It's not going to get better over night, and I'm gonna be different. Please don't think that means I have to be treated like a little breakable Wizard Chess piece," he said, imploring his friends to go along with it. Terry was the first to speak.
"That was pretty deep, you sure that wasn't a quote from somewhere?" Draco knew distraction worked better, than stewing. He had discovered that at his-well Sirius' house. He talked with Walburga for a while, who recognized his blood as 'pure' and didn't actually scream at him. It annoyed Sirius, but it was a distraction for Draco so he allowed it. Sirius also let Draco degnome his back yard, and spend a lot of time with Sybil.
Sirius had recognized the first night Draco spent there, that Draco instantly had more of a connection with Sybil than Sirius, even though the boy had never met Sybil before. (She should have, but the few times they had had a meeting set up, something happened to where Sybil couldn't go, either with work or with one of their still-borns). Sirius knew it was because Draco had never had a father figure before-at least one that was present. Sirius had only been around the boy a few times a year, but he had never been able to make a connection with him, even as an uncle, because the boy wasn't used to being around grown men. It made it difficult to be the boy's godfather, and Sirius had taken Draco into his study and had explained as much to Draco. The psychological part about the father figure went over his head a little, but he got the gist of it. Sirius promised that they would work on it together-as Sirius hadn't been in this situation before, but Sirius promised to be there for him. Draco left Grimmuald Place in higher spirits than he had thought possible.
Being back at Hogwarts wasn't bad either. He had his comfortable circle of friends, and Tonks and her weirdness. He hadn't expected her to be so affectionate-they were certainly a lot close than he was to Sirius, because of the age and because Tonks wasn't a fully fledged grown-up yet, she still liked to goof around and make faces and have fun.
"No it wasn't, knob," Draco retaliated and then turned into his food. He meant what he said. He was forever changed. His life was changed, but he was healing, and he had people to help him to it, so they shouldn't treat him like a breakable thing.