Author's Note: This is an interlude passage of time on what happens to Draco and his family post-war. I didn't want to dive too deep into it, but I also didn't want to leave everyone wonder what happened between the end of the war and eleven years later.
Rated: K+
Genre: General
Summary: The Malfoys may have been pardoned for their crimes and involvement in the war, but nothing comes without punishment cloaked as a set of conditions.
Consequences
The war was over. The dust was settling and people noticed the trio of blonds lingering in the far corner of the Great Hall as they awaited their fates in the aftermath. They had deliberately made themselves be seen by their former enemies, those who fought to defend what was right against their own. It was enough for the three to know that they would be looked for when they finally took their leave from the war-torn school.
The Malfoys did not resist when the Aurors finally came to detain them, why should they? They knew it was coming. Remaining compliant was the only way they could hopefully receive the results they desperately needed to keep them from being imprisoned.
They were held in the Aurors office for hours while the details were being sorted out. No less than five wizards accompanied them as they were led to their trials in front of the Wizgonmant. The entire wizarding world watched, eager to witness their punishment for their crimes.
The three Malfoys were granted formal trials, which was more than what many captured followers were given. Narcissa was charged for the least out of the family, but she also held an important key she never expected to be used: Harry Potter.
Despite everything he had gone through, regardless of knowing the Malfoys true characters, and everything she ever thought or said to and about him, Harry Potter demanded that she be granted amnesty. He argued with the solid claim that, if it hadn't been for her actions in the woods to boldly lie to her master, the world would be looking a lot different now.
No one argued against Harry Potter.
Somehow the savior's unchallenged sentiment blanketed over Draco as well, which managed to grant him a reluctant amnesty alongside his mother. It was Lucius who was left scared and fearful. He was not offered any pardon from Harry, so he was forced to plead guilty to his current and past charges. His hope faded with each passing second while his sin was laid out in the open for all to absorb. Lucius' pride was on the line, and in a last desperate attempt for freedom, the offer he blurted piqued the interests of the Wizgonmant just enough to accept his terms for a clean record – legally anyway.
Even the purest of governments could be swayed in some way.
Yet amnesty did not come cheap for the patriarch, and it did not come without conditions. There was always a price. A false amnesty may have been given, but the burden that came with it affected his entire family.
Lucius' valuable information, delivered with his eloquent charisma, was his only saving grace. The fines and community service was manageable, but all of the dark wizards artifacts and heirlooms – cursed or otherwise – had been permanently confiscated. The Manor, once home to many generations of Malfoys, was condemned for the very fact that it was the Death Eaters' headquarters. The loss of the ancient family's property was devastating, and it only hardened the hatred in Lucius' heart on the outcome of the new world.
Narcissa was not as bitter from the results of the trial, her family was safe, that was all that mattered. Yet she was still burdened with her own issues of losing many family heirlooms in the seizing of their property. She was also distraught with the loss of her sister, and concerned about the wellbeing of her son.
Draco had remained compliant to following the family's traditions to court and marry a suitable witch once the war ended. It was for the sake of seeking out some kind of security and familiarity in the reformed world more than anything else. A quiet, peaceful life was all that was asked for, but Narcissa knew her son was not happy. He buried away all the wrong that happened in his life – the bullying, the torturing, the plotting, the almost-murders, the feelings – determined to erase the past completely. His only reminder of it all marred the skin on his arm. He dared never look at it again.
Why change traditions he had grown so accustomed to when everything else around him already was forced to change? Draco simply wanted to make his parents happy and proud of him again.
Amnesty was granted to the Malfoys for their crimes, but not in the way they expected. Their view of the world shifted drastically, and the name Malfoy was nothing more than a whispered curse under the breaths of their equals.
Nothing came without consequences.
Originally written for:
The Houses Competition
Word count: (Per Google Docs) 765