177Disclaimer: The usual
This chapter is edited. (I will put a note at the beginning of each chapter so you know if it is edited or not, that way you can read ahead or check back later for edits)
Chapter 1
"So deeply rooted are some errors, that ages cannot remove them. The poisonous tree that once overshadowed the land may be cut down by the sturdy efforts of sages and philosophers; the sun may shine clearly upon spots where venomous things once nestled in security and shade; but still the entangled roots are stretched beneath the surface, and may be found by those who dig." C.M.
Hermione awoke in her familiar four poster bed in her old dorm as suddenly as she had fallen asleep. Her eyes strained under the influence of dried tears and the residue of the dreamless sleep potion she had taken several hours earlier. The muted beams of light streaming through the window suggested that it was very early morning. Hermione stared at the dust particles floating in the air as the events of the last few days came washing over her once again.
The Final Battle as everyone was calling it had finally happened. She was so relieved at the thought that it took a few moments to remember at what cost the deed was done. The events of the last couple of days from breaking into Gringott's to watching Fred die, and seeing Harry defeat Voldemort were already blurring into memories as if it happened years rather than hours ago. The details were not forgotten by any means and she was confident that she could recall them with perfect clarity, but at the moment the only thing she could feel with any kind of precision was an overwhelming sense of grief at the loss of so many people close to her.
She could not imagine what Harry must be going through considering he still blamed himself for the whole war happening in the first place. It was survivor's guilt and unrealistic, but nevertheless she was confident he felt it acutely, and so did she. Hermione was grieving for herself, and Ron, and Ginny, and all the rest of the Weasleys because of their loss of Fred, and then her thoughts turned to Dennis Creevey and his family, and finally to poor Teddy Lupin, before she remembered another family that was also affected by the war just as horrifically.
Draco Malfoy and his parents were huddled in a corner of the Great Hall during the end of the battle. She did not think much of it at the time because she was so busy fighting but when it was over and she was looking at the devastation around her she saw them again and wondered if any of them had fought at all, or if they even had a wand and a way to fight. Seeing them huddled together and Narcissa clinging to her husband and son as if her very life depended on it made her realise that the devastation reached further than she had thought. She really hated the Malfoy family, or so she thought, but it was difficult to find fuel for that kind of hatred when it was clear there was more to that family than she really knew. It was obvious they loved each other, and it was a wonder that love had survived the war which surprised her more than anything.
Draco had been sitting there, his mother's arms around him, with very little expression on his face until they made eye contact. All of a sudden Hermione had the need to know why. Why anyone would want to be a part of this, why anyone would think that following someone like Voldemort would bring them happiness. As she was looking at him she saw his expression change in response to her unasked question. She could have sworn that he was thinking, 'I don't know. I really don't know.' Something else changed for her right then and she believed that Dumbledore was right all along, Draco could still be saved. Even now she believed he could be saved and was determined to find something she could do for him. After all, they were very young and if the tables had been turned, Hermione quite possibly would have made all the same decisions he did. It was not a very comforting thought, but it was a realistic one.
The next time Hermione looked in the corner where the Malfoy's were huddled they were gone, having already been arrested and taken to Azkaban. They did not say anything. Lucius dejectedly stood up and allowed the aurors to lead him away while his weary wife and son followed behind.
Unfortunately, the time had come for Hermione to face the world once more. She could ask her questions later. She would have to be strong for her friends as they buried loved ones and worked to rebuild the castle that had become more of a home to her than anywhere else. She knew there was going to be interviews and trials to face soon, and she immediately wanted to make plans to go get her parents in Australia. She was not sure she could live another day without their comforting embrace and support. And also, there was this new thing with Ron to explore. She wondered how the loss of Fred and the outcome of the battle was going to affect him and she wanted to be there for him. So with that in mind she dragged her tired body out her comfortable bed dried her eyes for what she hoped would be the last time that day and left to face the future.
Three months had passed since Draco was arrested for his involvement as a Death Eater. Today would hopefully be the last day of his trial. Prison was not exactly as horrible as he had expected it to be mainly because the Dementors had not been restored as guards. They had pretty much scattered after Voldemort's defeat and the ministry was still rounding them up. That is not to say that it was any fun either. The guards may not have been Dementors but they could still be nasty and were known to spit in the prisoners' food or engage in inappropriate behaviours in the higher security wards. Draco and his mother were in a minimum security section of the prison and his father was in the same high security section he was in before just with lack of Dementors.
During the last few months Draco had been allowed to finish revising for his N.E.W.T.S, and would be taking them soon. He wondered who had pulled the taut strings that had allowed him to receive training while he was imprisoned since prisoners were not allowed to use magic. By some lucky miracle he was allowed to study, visit with a ministry approved tutor, and brew potions. He was still not allowed to use a wand but he was confident enough that with the practice of wand movements and incantations he would at least pass the practical exams and he expected to do well on the written portion. He was just grateful that he had the opportunity at all. It meant that at the last day of his trial today there was hope of getting out of prison. And obviously, someone on the outside believed that he was worthy of being a fully qualified wizard, which meant someone thought he had a future. He wondered who had taken pity on him constantly but he was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. And if he did know who it was, he expected he would die of shame if he saw them again because he did not feel worthy of anyone's pity, nor did he particularly want it.
There was a time Draco would have scoffed at anyone trying to help him. He was arrogant enough to believe that he was beyond reproach and was stubborn in his ideals. Being cramped in a small cell for three months without the luxuries he was used to had left him far too much time for introspection and he came to realise what a fool he truly was. The final battle had affected him deeply but it was his own thoughts and realisations that hurt the most. Just the acts of having to house Voldemort in his home and to torture for him left him burning with shame that he was convinced would never go away. He missed his godfather terribly too and blamed himself for Severus' death. He had read an article in The Quibbler that quoted Potter saying that Voldemort killed Severus because he believed him to be the master of the Elder Wand when it was actually Draco until Harry disarmed him the night they escaped from the manor. Draco would never be able to forgive himself for that. He also felt like he would never be able to forgive his parents for joining Voldemort teaching him their prejudices in the first place. But most of all he was grieving the loss of his friend and Godfather and he wished he could talk to someone, anyone, besides himself.
Pureblood prejudice was another bone of contention for him. He had spent his entire school career complaining that Granger was every teacher's favourite when he had aspirations to be the pet, but she was the best at everything. He had also taunted her for being Muggle born while claiming his magical superiority. He had spent the last seven years being shown firsthand what a contradiction in terms that was and he refused to see it. Granger could demolish him in any duel and outscore him on any written exam and he knew it. She was just a scapegoat for his father's ideology and the only reason it was so easy to torment her was because she was Potter's friend and a bloody know-it-all. It would have made more sense if she was worthless at magic like Longbottom, but there's the rub, Longbottom is a Pureblood. Once again Draco's ignorance reigned supreme.
In a very uncharacteristic move, Draco had written Granger a long letter apologising for his stupidity. He even told her in a fit of loneliness that he thought she looked beautiful at the Yule ball. He asked her to tell Potter that he was sorry too, and glad that he succeeded, and that he owed them all a life debt. Of course he never sent the letter. Instead he ripped it to shreds and flushed it down the latrine but he was still hoping that someday he would have the chance to see her. To thank her for proving him wrong, to apologise, and maybe to explain to her what it had been like for him. He desperately wanted to hear what it had been like for her and he did not feel like he could properly rest until he understood.
"Malfoy!" the guard on duty hollered as he unlocked the cell door. Draco lifted his arms up for his pat down as was the routine and stepped outside to be whisked to the Ministry where he would be questioned for the final time.
"The Wizengamot is here to make a final ruling on the case of Draco Abraxas Malfoy, convicted supporter of You-Know-Who. Please state your name for the court."
"Draco Abraxas Malfoy."
"Three months ago you pled guilty to aiding and abetting Death Eater activity, and to the torture of James Ollivander and several minor students during your last year at Hogwarts, by the means of the Cruciatus curse. Is that correct?" Kingsley Shacklebolts' voice was low and smooth as always and not accusatory, just factual.
"Yes sir."
"And in that time do you believe you have sufficiently been able to understand the implications of what you have done?"
"Yes sir."
"Three months ago when you were brought in this courtroom you had nothing to say in defence of your behaviour. What have you to say now for yourself?"
Draco took a few moments to look around the Wizengamot. He knew there were many empty seats due to murdered ministry employees and several new and eager replacements ready to see retribution. He silently prayed that what he had have to say would help him out of prison but he was also prepared to be their guinea pig and spend the rest of his life suffering in Azkaban for what he and his forebears had done wrong. With that thought in mind he decided honesty, for the first time in his life, would be the best policy. He let out a great shuddering breath to collect himself before he spoke.
"Sir, to tell you the truth I don't really know what to say for myself. My time in prison has given me an opportunity to ask myself who I really am and what do I really believe in. I knew you were going to ask me this question today and I feel woefully unprepared to answer it. The things I do know are my blood heritage, my name, where I live, but I don't know where I come from. I don't know why I was taught the things I was taught, and other than being a spoiled, arrogant child who was desperate to impress his father, I do not understand why I believed any of it even when evidence to the contrary was right in front of my face.
Sir, I will tell you the one thing I do know is that I will never truly understand where I went wrong unless I can confront my demons and ask the kinds of questions I should have been asking before. I was always told that being Pureblood was the best just for the sake of it. I know for a fact that being a Pureblood does not make you better than a Muggleborn at anything and I have seen proof of that over and over again but I ignored it because I was brainwashed to see otherwise. No one gave me a good reason. The Dark Lord himself did not even have a good reason to believe what he believed."
Draco paused while he contemplated the last thing he wanted to say.
"So, what do I have to say for myself now? That I am sorry, terribly sorry. Not just for hurting people, or allowing myself to be forced into taking the Dark Mark as a punishment for my father's supposed transgressions, but being stupid and cruel enough to inflict my ignorance on innocent people. The only thing I can say for myself is that while being kept in prison would be a justified punishment for me it would do nothing to teach me where I went wrong." Draco finished. He was not prepared to give any of the gory details about why he joined the Death Eaters. He knew that his mother and father had already testified that he was forced into it but he didn't want to admit that he was forced. He wanted to start being responsible for his own actions and it started the day he was arrested.
"Thank you Mr. Malfoy, you may step down. May we call our first witness for the defence?" Kingsley said loudly. Draco swivelled towards the door as it slowly opened to see who was speaking for him. He had not had any outside contact since he went to Azkaban and he never expected anyone but his parents to speak on his behalf and their words were not exactly taken seriously. He never expected to see Hermione Granger herself followed closely behind by Potter and Weasley enter the courtroom. They each took a seat at the long table in the front of the room that Draco had just vacated. Draco was astonished to see them and he knew it was all over his face. They were actually here to testify for him? They had lost their minds.
Potter was staring at him with a look of determination mingled with defiance on his face, and Weasley was looking at his hands and around the room but not at Draco. And then he caught Granger's eye. She had the same sort of determined look that Potter did, it was a look he was familiar with from her but he also saw pity there and that made his stomach twist in a knot. He did not deserve her pity. He deserved no kindness from her. He had made her life a living hell. She was smart, talented, and beautiful. He saw it when she was standing over Fred's body with tears pouring down her face, and he saw it again now. She let out a shaky sigh and quickly turned her head away. He saw Weasley put his hand over hers in a comforting manner and he felt another twinge in his stomach that had nothing to do with benevolence.
"Mr. Potter, you stated that when you encountered Mr. Malfoy at the final battle he was pleading with his partners to not use any killing curses or other harmful curses on you and your friends. Is that correct?"
"Yes Minister." Potter stated flatly.
"You also claim that you were there during Dumbledore's final moments on the Astronomy tower and that Dumbledore stated that Draco still had a future and could be helped, and that Mr. Malfoy was unable to carry through with the assignment he was given by Voldemort."
"Yes that is true also." Harry said. Draco was shocked. He had heard that Potter was up there but he had never known it to be true for sure.
"Ms. Granger. Is it also true that Mr. Malfoy taunted you and your friends during your time at Hogwarts calling you derogatory names and threatening you?"
"Yes sir." She replied in a somewhat shaky voice.
"Mr. Weasley, is that true?"
"Yes sir, but there has always been a rivalry at Hogwarts. Inter-house conflicts that kind of stuff, it was just school stuff." Draco really hated Weasley but now he owed him big time. What on earth were they doing? He hoped they weren't playing some sort of elaborate prank on him. He didn't know what would be worse going back to prison, or being released just so the Golden Trio could taunt him for the rest of his life in return for what he did to them.
"But you also stated that when you were caught by snatchers he was very reluctant to confirm your identity to the other Death Eaters is that also correct?"
"Yes sir."
"Do you have any guesses as to why?"
"Many sir, I believe he knew the danger they all would have been in from Voldemort if they were wrong. I also sensed at the time that he was uncomfortable with everything that was going on and had no desire to see anyone else get hurt." She said confidently. She was dead on about Voldemort but realistically, Draco thought, I would have not been too unhappy to see Potter get knocked around some more at the time. But that's Granger, bloody Gryffindor know it all, not that I am complaining though.
"Ms. Granger you made a very compelling case a few months ago when you petitioned the Wizengamot to allow Draco to finish his N.E.W.T.S. Can you please state for the court why you did that?" Now Draco was really becoming suspicious. What had been her purpose? It was Granger? Did she place such a high importance on education that even the worst of villains should be able to become qualified? He knew she did, and it took him a moment before he realized that what Granger gave him was a gift. Before she answered she looked Draco in the eyes but he could not read her expression.
"Minister, we all suffered a lot in the war. Some of us may have lost more than others and in different ways but I firmly believe that people can change. I also firmly believe that you did not have to fight against Voldemort to be one of those people. I believe that Draco is ignorant to what was going on with our side of the war just as we really did not have much of a clue what he was going through. I believed that doing him one kindness, if you call what I did a kindness, was a way of showing him that there is good in the world. And that sometimes the hard decisions are the only ones that are right." With that she looked him in the eye again with that same blank expression. "And I don't know what it will achieve but I believe he should have a chance. I don't expect to be friends or anything, Minister, but I can't see anyone else suffer unnecessarily."
"Thank you Ms. Granger. That will be all. The Wizengamot will now deliberate."
With that the Golden Trio left the courtroom without a backward glance. Draco had no idea what to think as he was shuffled off to a side room to await his verdict. He could not believe that they had testified for him. His enemies. Naturally he did not expect any of them to want to be friends but he had to admit that he was a little shocked to hear Granger say it out loud. Of course his own friends would never be able to testify for him because they were locked up for shooting killing curses. Or they were ambivalent like Blaise. He wasn't allowed letters in prison so he really did not know who his friends were, if he had any at all. He, at least had never had the courage to even utter the words to the killing curse so that was one point in his favour. He hoped the Wizengamot was quick with their decision. He wanted out of Azkaban he had to admit, but he wanted to know where he was going to be so he could start some sort of routine for the rest of his life. He wanted to take his exams, move out of his parents' manor. The last few months had been so serious for him; at the very least he wanted to relax.
"Draco Malfoy the Wizengamot has come to its decision. You have been found guilty of torture by means of the Cruciatus Curse. You have been sentenced to time served in Azkaban Prison and to one year of Probation where you will work full time for the ministry in a department that the Wizengamot believes will assist you in your quest to find answers about people that are not like you. You will apprentice in the Muggle Liaison Office. If you fail to perform the requirements of a successful apprenticeship you will finish the remainder of your probation in Azkaban. Do you have any questions?"
Authors Note: The quote at the beginning came from a book called Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Charles McKay. It has a fantastic section on the Witch Hunts which is where the quote came from.