A/N – With just two chapters and the epilogue to go, I've decided to finish publishing Power of Love this week, so there will be an extra update on Friday.
Draco lay looking up at the ceiling as the early morning light began to filter into the bedroom. Beside him, Hermione was sleeping peacefully and Lyra was soundly sleeping in her crib at the bottom of the bed. However, Draco couldn't sleep as his entire future was hanging in the balance and he knew that events of that day would determine what sort of life he and his family would have.
It was two weeks since Voldemort had fallen at Hogwarts, and already a lot had changed for Draco, Hermione and Lyra. After a couple of days staying at Grimmauld Place they moved back to their house in Scotland with Narcissa, although they had plans to hopefully make a fresh start somewhere else. Blaise and Theo had also moved with them and were currently living in guest bedrooms of the house.
Theo's father had been arrested at Hogwarts along with the other Death Eaters, but he'd gone into custody willingly and hadn't created a scene. Theo had spoken to Dumbledore about speaking up for his father, especially since he'd help Theo and Blaise avoid being pressganged into the Death Eaters. Dumbledore had agreed to put in a good word for Theo's father and although he hadn't been able to do much, he had ensured that Mr Nott wasn't going to spend the rest of his life in Azkaban. Currently his sentence hadn't been decided, although it was looking likely he would face jail time for willingly taking the mark years ago, but both Theo and his father were accepting of that fact, and they knew as long as wasn't in Azkaban for too long they could get through it together and build a new life for their family.
As for Blaise, he'd written to his mother following Voldemort's downfall only to find her completely unconcerned by her only son's predicament. She was currently wooing yet another husband, and once she'd confirmed that Blaise wasn't expecting to go and live with her, she'd transferred her son some money into his Gringotts account so he could find somewhere to live. She'd then gone back to her normal life not giving Blaise another thought.
Unable to lie in bed any longer, Draco carefully slipped out of the large bed and wandered over to the window as he thought about the day ahead. Finally he was to be interviewed at the Ministry about his part in the war. Since Voldemort's fall, Draco had been overwhelmed by the unflinching support he'd received from the Order, but he was still worried about what the day could bring. Dumbledore had promised him that he wouldn't be sent to Azkaban, but Draco wasn't sure how the headmaster could be so confident. He knew Dumbledore had signed a pardon for him when he'd been forced to take the mark, but he also knew that it legally meant nothing as Dumbledore had no legal power at the Ministry.
Dreading the thought that his name might not be cleared, Draco leaned his head against the cool window. Staring out at the dark garden as the sun slowly rose, Draco was lost in his thoughts until a snuffling noise disturbed him. Recognising the sound of Lyra waking up, Draco headed over to his daughter and scooped her up into his arms before she began to cry and woke Hermione.
"Ssh, princess," he cooed, rocking his daughter in his arms. "Don't wake Mummy. She needs her rest."
It was actually a rarity for Hermione to still be soundly sleeping, as since they'd been reunited neither of them had been sleeping very well. As happy as they were to be back together, they'd both suffered a hell of a lot and they still hadn't processed half of what had happened to them. As a result, they were both sleeping restlessly and more often than not they were both awake ridiculously early.
"You're a good girl, Lyra," Draco whispered, settling into the rocking chair in the corner of the room with his daughter, who was now wide awake and looking at him with her big, soulful eyes. "No matter what happens today, I want you to remember that I love you and your Mummy. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Lyra."
Feeling himself getting emotional, Draco stopped talking and just held his daughter close. After months of not knowing how Lyra was or how she was coping, Draco was holding onto his daughter as often as he could. It was as though he was terrified they were going to be parted again and he wanted to make sure he didn't miss a second with his precious daughter.
For nearly half an hour, father and daughter sat in comfortable silence in the rocking chair, but then Lyra began to get restless. Knowing she didn't need feeding or changing, Draco suspected his daughter was just growing impatient with the silence. Draco had found that his daughter was so used to people being around and fussing over her that she didn't really like the peace and quiet.
"Okay, okay, I'll sing to you," Draco whispered, glancing over at Hermione and seeing that she was still sleeping. "Twinkle, twinkle, little star," he began to sing in a soft voice.
As he sang his daughter's favourite song, Lyra began to giggle happily and clap her hands together. By the time the song was finished, Lyra was beaming happily so Draco sang for her a second time. As he did so, he failed to notice Hermione waking up and smiling at the sight of the two of them sitting in the corner singing nursery rhymes.
"You've got a good voice," Hermione remarked when Draco stopped singing.
"You're awake," Draco said, blushing slightly at the fact Hermione had heard him sing. It wasn't something he generally did and he was a bit self-conscious of the fact his girlfriend had heard him.
"I am," Hermione confirmed as she hopped out of bed and padded over to where the two most important people in her life were sitting. "And seeing you and Lyra together is the perfect sight to wake up to."
"Let's hope you still get to wake up to it after today," Draco said sombrely.
"Nothing is going to happen to you today, Draco," Hermione insisted, squeezing her boyfriend's arm. "Dumbledore has already promised to be right by your side as you're interviewed. He won't let anything happen to you."
"I know he's going to try his best, but it doesn't mean he can prevent the Ministry from throwing me into Azkaban," Draco pointed out. "He's not the Minister of Magic."
"No, but the acting Minister is part of the Order," Hermione pointed out. "Kingsley has seen first-hand some of the suffering Lyra and I went through. I know he'll be on your side."
"Just don't get your hopes up," Draco cautioned. "I know you might not want to, but you're going to have to prepare yourself for the fact I might not come back from the Ministry."
"I refuse to even think such a thing," Hermione said in indignation as she plucked Lyra from Draco's arms. "Come on princess, let's get you ready for the day. We've got a party to organise for Daddy."
"Party?" Draco questioned, trailing after his girlfriend as she wandered into the bathroom with Lyra.
"More of a gathering of friends and loved ones," Hermione corrected. "We're all going to be here waiting for you when you've finished at the Ministry. I'm not sure you're quite ready to believe just how many people love and care for you, Draco. We're not alone anymore. We've got a whole world of people ready to support us."
Knowing there was nothing he could say that would dissuade his girlfriend from gathering everyone at their house, Draco thanked her for her love and support before he began to get ready for the day ahead. By the time Draco, Hermione and Lyra were all dressed they could hear movement in other parts of the house and within half an hour everyone was downstairs eating breakfast. Or rather most people were eating, but all Draco could do was pick at his food.
"Are you sure you don't want us to come with you?" Narcissa asked her son as after breakfast he prepared to floo to the Ministry alone.
"No, I need to do this alone," Draco replied. As much as he would have loved to have Hermione at his side, he hadn't yet told her everything that had happened to him and he didn't want to hear about some of the terrible things he'd partaken in at the Ministry, he wanted to be able to confide in her in his own time and when he was truly ready to talk about what life had been like for him under Voldemort's control.
"We may not be with you in person, but Lyra and I will be there in spirit," Hermione said as she kissed her boyfriend and handed him Lyra to grab a hug off. "We love you Draco, never forget that."
"I love you too," Draco whispered, kissing both Hermione and Lyra as he prayed that he would soon be back with them and Narcissa.
Saying a quick goodbye to Blaise and Theo, and yet again thanking them for all their support, Draco took a deep breath and flooed to the Ministry. Given the state the wizarding world was in it was no surprise that the Ministry was a hive of activity as people worked to calm the public and restore order to society.
Draco was due to meet Dumbledore in the Auror Department, and when he stepped from the lift on the correct floor he found the headmaster was already waiting for him. Dumbledore greeted him warmly, and as if sensing his nerves he produced a piece of parchment from his robes and handed it to Draco.
"What is it?" Draco asked, unrolling the parchment and finding a long list of names. Some of the names were members of the Order, some were former classmates, some were Professors and some were people he didn't know.
"A list of people who are willing to stand up for you," Dumbledore replied.
Draco stared at the list in surprise, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of names. All of the Weasleys were there, despite the fact they were still trying to get over losing both Arthur and Ron. Every single surviving Professor and Hogwarts staff members were on the list, despite the fact Draco would have sworn that not all of them even liked him.
"Why would half of these people do this?" Draco questioned, his eyes falling on the name Augusta Longbottom, which was listed after Neville's name. "Is this Neville's grandmother here?"
"Yes, Augusta is on the list."
"But I don't even know her," Draco protested.
"She was there at Hogwarts, she saw what side you were truly on," Dumbledore explained. "You have a lot of support Draco. Even people who don't know you want to stand up and make sure you're not punished for something you had no control over. Everyone knows you did what you had to for Lyra, and the Ministry will see that."
Draco nodded, hoping Dumbledore was right and that the Ministry did indeed see the truth behind his reasons for being part of Voldemort's army. Although he didn't have to wait long to get his answer, as the acting Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shackelbolt appeared with a couple of Aurors and escorted Draco and Dumbledore into a large room where a selection of the Wizengamot were waiting.
Settling down in front of the people who would decide his future, Draco was silent as Dumbledore said as few words explaining the situation and handed over the lists of people willing to speak for Draco. It was then Draco's turn under the spotlight and for the next three hours he relived his time with Voldemort as he told the Wizengamot everything and answered every question they threw in his direction.
"We'd like a few moments to consult with each other," Kingsley finally said to an emotionally drained Draco.
Numbly, Draco left the room to wait for a verdict. He wasn't sure if he could be sent straight to Azkaban without a trial, or if the Wizengamot would merely decide that a proper trial would be in order. In that case, Draco suspected he would be kept in custody as every other Death Eater awaiting trial, including his father, was currently in custody.
After what seemed like the longest time of his life, but in reality was just over ten minutes, Draco was ushered back into the room. He tried to decipher what the verdict was going to be by Dumbledore's face, but the headmaster's expression was unreadable as he sat comfortably in his chair.
"We'll not drag this out Draco," Kingsley said with a kind smile. "We all feel that you've got nothing to answer for. We accept that you were forced into servitude by Voldemort, and that he kept you in line by threatening the life of your baby daughter. We all commend you for your bravery in what must have been an awful time in your life. We also want to reassure you that no stain will remain on your character. You will not be named as an official Death Eater, or be held responsible for anything the Death Eaters have done over the last few months. You're free to go, Draco. Go back to your family and live the life you deserve."
"Thank you," Draco replied, his voice choked with emotion as the relief of being pardoned hit him like a ton of bricks.
Once outside of the room, Draco wholeheartedly thanked Dumbledore for his support. He then headed back down to the atrium, and still slightly giddy with what had happened, he flooed home to share the good news with his family.
When Draco arrived home he was greeted not just by Hermione, but by dozens of other people as well. True to her word, Hermione had gathered the people who had supported them over the last few months. The Weasleys were all present, as were Harry, Sirius and Remus. Dean, Neville and Seamus were all there, along with a few Professors. Snape was there, after also being cleared off all wrong doing as he'd merely been acting as a spy on Dumbledore's instructions, and he was looking rather friendly with Narcissa. Even his Aunt Andromeda was present with her husband, Ted.
"Well?" Blaise demanded as Draco entered the living room and everyone fell silent.
"I'm free," Draco replied. "No charges to answer, and I won't be named as an official Death Eater."
"Draco, that's wonderful," Narcissa declared with relief as Hermione hugged Draco and reunited him yet again with Lyra.
"Told you," Hermione whispered to her boyfriend as people congratulated him.
"You were right," Draco conceded with a smile. "But you should have seen the list Dumbledore presented to the Ministry. It was full of people who wanted to speak up for me."
"Our plight has touched a lot of people," Hermione said. "But it's over now."
"Not quite," Draco replied quietly. "Father's still to stand trial. It's not over until I know he's out of our lives for good."
"Which he will be when he's sent to Azkaban for the rest of his worthless life," Hermione said, wrapping her arms around Draco and engulfing him in her embrace. "This is the beginning of our future, Draco. The rest of our lives start now."
"I'll drink to that," Draco said, grabbing a drink and proposing a toast.
Standing in the centre of the room, Draco, Hermione and Lyra were united as a family as everyone drank to the future. It was finally time to leave the war behind them and look to the future, which once again seemed bright and full of potential.