From the Manor to Ruin
<Draco's POV>
<2 months ago>
Draco walked down the hallway of his small apartment to the lounge where his mother was seated in front of a small fireplace. "Mother," Draco said quietly while she continued to stare distantly into the firelight. "Mother," Draco tried again slightly louder when she again didn't respond. He stepped forward to place a hand on her shoulder but before he was able to reach her, a sharp knock sounded on the front door. This seemed to finally shake his mother out of her thoughts and she looked up at Draco. "I'll get it," he quickly said but she had already risen from her seat to walk to the entryway. Draco sighed and sank into the chair his mother had occupied only moments ago. He now stared into the flames while he listened to his mother open the front door and greet their guest. He heard his mother speaking in a hushed whisper with another woman for a moment before hearing her steps echo as she walked back into the lounge.
"Draco," his mother said as she strode back into the room. "Headmistress McGonagall is here to see you." Draco whipped his head around in surprise to see his old professor enter the room behind his mother. Draco quickly stood looking at the headmistress with wide eyes.
"Professor I-", Draco started to say but he was quickly cut off by his mother.
"You didn't tell me that the headmistress had been writing to you," Narcissa said in a quiet but accusatory voice. "Or that you had been invited back to Hogwarts."
"I never intended to accept the offer so I didn't see the point," Draco said taking his eyes off of his professor to meet his mother's piercing gaze.
"Draco," Narcissa said hurriedly, "You could finish your education. Go back and have a normal life."
"We've spoken about this," Draco said in a firm tone. "You know why I can't-"
"Your father would have wanted you to go back and finish," his mother said cutting him off again.
"Well perhaps I would accept father's input on what I should do with my life if he were actually here and not the reason we are currently living as outcasts," Draco snapped angrily. He saw the immediate change in his mother. Where there had been passion only a second ago, now there was only blank eyes, devoid of any emotion. She seemed to silently regard Draco for a moment before striding out of the room without so much as a word to the headmistress. Once Draco heard her close herself into her room, he turned to look at professor McGonagall. She was still standing in the doorway to the room studying Draco intently.
"Professor," he finally said after a moment of hesitation. "I'm sorry things have been hard for her since my father..." He trailed off not wanting to finish his sentence, feeling too ashamed to say it in front of her. Since my father was given a life sentence in Azkaban, he finished in his head instead. Draco knew that the headmistress was aware of his father's fate and exactly what he had done to deserve it, but he felt a wave of guilt having to acknowledge it in front of one of the Order's most prominent members.
"That's quite alright," Professor McGonagall said. "I can only imagine how hard this has been on the both of you." Draco only stared at her, taken aback by how understanding she was being about his family's current position. "May I sit?" she finally asked after a minute when Draco had not responded.
"Oh yes," he said quickly turning back to the armchairs in front of the fire. "Of course." Professor McGonagall removed her cloak and sat in the armchair across from Draco. The headmistress seemed to be waiting for Draco to break the silence. "I'm sorry but I don't really understand why you are here professor," he finally said.
"Well you never did answer my letters," she said as if this were the obvious reason for her unannounced visit.
"Yes, well I didn't really understand why you wrote me in the first place," Draco said knitting his eyebrows together and looking back at the fire.
"To invite you back to Hogwarts to finish your seventh year, of course. Or did you not even read my letters?" she asked raising her own eyebrows.
"I did," Draco said. "But professor as the new headmistress you have to have thought of all the reasons why that is a bad idea."
"If you are referring to how you believe certain individuals in the ministry will react-" she started giving him a stern look.
"Certain individuals in the ministry," Draco cut in. "Certain Order members. Certain parents. Certain-" Draco hesitated, "students." He finally looked up to meet the headmistress' searching gaze. "I truly don't see why the new headmistress would take a chance on inviting someone like me back to Hogwarts."
She was studying him intently and after a minute she asked, "Why is it that you and your mother are not staying at Malfoy Manor? Certainly it would have passed to you after your father's sentencing."
Draco was taken aback by the question and the sudden change in topic. "I don't want the Manor," he said after a moment. "I have no interest in anything that was once my father's and I refuse to live there after what happened there during the war." He said the last part in a quiet voice but professor McGonagall caught every word.
"Yes, I heard about what happened in the Manor," she said. "About what you did for Harry there," she added after a pause.
Draco looked at her in shock, "Har-, Potter told you about that?"
"About that and about what you did for him in the final battle," she responded. "But of course many others witnessed what you did in the final battle."
Draco stayed silent for a moment then shook his head, "It came too late. It doesn't just make up for everything my family has done. For what I did before then."
Professor McGonagall sighed and rose from her chair, fastening her cloak back into place. "Well I can see that I can't change your mind. But I can tell you that I know of at least one student who would not object to your return." She turned towards the entrance hall to leave.
"Wait," Draco said suddenly and quickly stood. Professor McGonagall paused and turned to look at him. "Potter. He's returning?" he asked not meeting her eye.
"I received an owl confirming his decision this morning,' she answered with a slight upward twitch at the corner of her mouth.
Draco paused for a moment then sighed. "Could I at least apparate into Hogsmeade instead of taking the train?"