Chapter 3
The cellar is always dark. There’s no light except for the tiny lamps that are left behind just so you can have the illusion of it, and you normally huddle in a corner with Ollivander to try and expel the chill that never leaves you. It’s confusing when you try to think about how long you’ve been here; it could’ve been a week or a month for all you know. But hiding in the dank, dripping blackness is far better than being up there because you’re only allowed up when they want to torture you in front of Draco.
The first time it happens you try to grit your teeth and bare it, but you learn quickly that all that does is make it worse. They want to hear you scream and cry and they want Draco to hear you. The room they always bring you in is bare with wooden floors so the sounds can echo. They start out with shoving you onto your knees as they bring Draco in and force him to stand and watch.
“Look, little Draco dear,” Bellatrix coos, “it’s your little mudblood girl. Are you ready to play with her today? I heard you haven’t yet finished your mission that the Dark Lord has given you. Perhaps a bit of incentive will help you. Crucio!”
You writhe on the floor as you scream, your voice bounces off the walls, and when Bellatrix stops you see Lucius holding tightly to Draco’s shoulder. His eyes are filled with hatred and he’s biting his bottom lip so hard it looks like it’ll soon start bleeding. Lucius is a man you’ve only seen from afar on the train platform, but he looks old and tired now, nothing resembling the proud and regal man he’d once been. He looks drained, agonized over the pain his son feels.
“You still haven’t found the Creevey family, our Lord says. Remember,” she laughs darkly, “the longer you take, the more entertainment I have.” She kicks your leg, grinning at how it flops, then starts walking out. “Clean her up, Draco, then send her back down. Remember,” glancing back to flash sharp teeth at him, “treat her properly, otherwise someone else will.”
Draco kneels next to you, teeth gritting as Bellatrix’s cackle echoes down the hall. Lucius stands next to the two of you but turns to the side in the pretense of giving you privacy while keeping an eye out for any others that might try to enter the room for their own entertainment. “Hey,” you whisper, “I’m fine. Made it sound worse than it was, as long as she thinks it hurts she won’t try more than she thinks she needs to.” You try to shrug in nonchalance, but you barely move an inch before betraying your earlier statement with a wince. Draco says nothing, just stares at you while silently waving his wand across your form to heal you minimally. If he heals you too much the Death Eaters will just do worse the next time. “You can’t find them,” your voice cracks as you grab at his hand with as much strength as you can muster, which unfortunately isn’t much, “you have to promise me. You can’t find any of them. Promise me,” you whisper in a breath, not daring to speak any louder should anyone other than possibly Lucius overhear you.
“If I don’t they’ll do worse,” he rasps out, and his fingers grip yours before letting go. He gently lifts you in his arms and Lucius leads the two of you out of the room, heading back down to the dungeons.
You rest your head on his chest, drinking in the sound of his heartbeat while smiling. “I’m a big girl, I can take it. I’m more stubborn than you want to admit.” He huffs out what might be a laugh in any other situation. “Besides,” you grimace, keeping an eye out for anyone before continuing, “they’ll keep me alive as long as they think it’ll keep you in line. If they find any others they’ll kill them without qualm. As long as you keep up with what you’ve been doing we’ll be fine.”
His fingers tighten as Lucius opens the door and Draco walks into the sparsely lit room and deposits you as smoothly as possible next to the wand maker. “How can you believe that.”
You lean against Ollivander and your eyes slowly drift shut out as you whisper, “Because I know Harry will save us. It’s only a matter of time.”
Luna eventually joins the two of you in the dungeons and the three of you huddle together for warmth every night while Luna hums songs with nonsensical words that help to distract you all. It’s oddly comforting and you hum along with her sometimes, smiling as you listen to her soothing voice.
“Harry will save us,” you say whenever Draco brings you down, trying your best to calm him.
“Yes,” Luna smiles knowingly at the two of you every single time, “I do believe so.”
—
Draco is terrified when Grayback drags in a group of people, claiming that one of them is Harry Potter. His mother exclaims that he can identify him while his father cries out in excitement about finally being forgiven by the Dark Lord. He grits his teeth and refuses to even glance at them at first. When Bellatrix storms into the room he has no choice and inspects the young man with a swollen face, face grim.
“Well!?” Bellatrix snarls. “Is it Harry Potter!?”
‘I know Harry will save us. It’s only a matter of time.’
“No. No, that’s not Harry Potter.” Harry Potters eyes widen in shock when Draco steps back, false confidence in his frame. “I have no idea who this person is.”
He turns to the side and glances at the group being lead down to the dungeons while Bellatrix screeches in fury.
—
“Luna!?”
“Hullo, Harry,” Luna’s dreamy voice wakes you and you blink away the sleep from your eyes. “I knew you’d save us. Whether that was actually coming here or not.”
Harry says, “What are you doing here?” while Ron is bellowing out Hermione’s name, and you realize you hear a woman screaming as Bellatrix screeches about something being stolen from her.
“Harry?”
“Y/N? You’re here too?”
“Oh hello, Dean. And you too, sir.” Luna speaks again causing you to barely notice in the dim lighting Dean Thomas and a glaring goblin standing next to Harry.
You frown as you sit up from leaning on Ollivander. “What happened to your face?”
“Hermione sent me a stinging hex so they couldn’t recognize me, but Bellatrix took her.” He stops at Ron yelling Hermione’s name out again when another scream floats down to them, then he cries out about something in his pocket that he clicks and the room immediately fills with light. Harry looks pained when he says, “Draco didn’t recognize me.” He looks up at you, “Said it wasn’t me.”
You smile gently. “Hmm, how about that.”
“WHY AREN’T YOU LOT DOING ANYTHING!?” Ron bellows, glaring as Luna says something about a nail and goes to grab it so she can cut their bindings. “BELLATRIX TOOK HERMIONE!”
You grimace as Ollivander helps you stand. “Yeah, sorry. Her curses hurt. She likes to play with you, and sometimes,” you rub at the scars on your arms that multiple eyes flicker down to glance at, “she likes to leave little souvenirs.”
“You too?” Dean groans out, voice thick. “Is it cause you’re muggleborn? They just want something to play with?”
“Oh, no,” you laugh as much as you can, “they use me to get to Draco. He’s been trying to find the Creevey’s for a while now, but unfortunately they’re quite slippery.” You all stop talking when Hermione screams again, louder this time, and Ron bellows as, now that the bindings have been cut, he beats on the door. “Your family as well, Dean,” you look at him with a small smile, and his eyes widen in shock, “it just seems like he can’t find any of the Thomas’. Such a pity.”
Before anyone can respond Lucius’ voice rings out loudly, “Draco, go grab that goblin! He can confirm whether it’s a fake or the real thing! Hurry!”
You ignore it when Harry turns to the goblin to convince him to say it’s a fake and instead you stand there, watching the door. Everyone moves when heavy steps sound down the stairs, and when Draco knocks on the door he rasps out, “Stand along the wall. If you move I’ll kill you.”
Harry drags a struggling Ron with him against the wall and stands next to you. The door opens to show a paler than usual Draco who doesn’t even acknowledge the fact that the cellar is filled with light and, with barely a glance at you, he goes to grab Griphook’s arm. “Draco,” you smile at him. He stops but doesn’t look back, and you stare straight at him, ignoring everyone else looking at the two of you. “I told you. Please be careful.”
He stands still for a long moment before walking back up the stairs, Griphook in tow.
—
The day after Dobby’s buried in Bill and Fleur’s garden you stand at the edge of the cliff with Harry for a long time, watching the sunrise in silence. Finally Harry speaks. “Did you know that Draco would lie to them?”
You quietly hum and Harry turns to look at you. He says nothing, patiently waiting. “Do you want the truth, Harry? Or do you want me to lie?”
“Lie?”
You smile at his puzzled expression. “I could tell you that I had no doubt that Draco would put aside his fear of the Dark Lord for his love of me. That I always believed in him and never once questioned whether he’d continue failing his missions to find other muggleborns and their families.” Your eyes fill with tears and the sky becomes blurry. “The truth, Harry, is that I didn’t know. I didn’t know if he’d risk everything; his life, his parents lives. I could only hope.” You rub at your face as roughly as you can, appreciating the fact that Harry says nothing of it; enough tears have been spilt because of the evil monster and his cronies. “I love Draco, Harry. I have since the moment I met that stupid, greasy haired little git, and I feel I always will.”
Harry puts his hand on your shoulder and you take a deep breath, smiling. “I knew of Dobby before you mentioned him to me. Draco told me about him and how he’d told him everything he’d ever heard about the Boy-Who-Lived and how he couldn’t wait till he’d be old enough for Hogwarts and he’d make friends with the most famous wizard of his time.” Harry’s face is scrunched with disbelief and you burst out in laughter. “Oh, it’s fine if you don’t believe me. It’s true though; I think that Dobby’s obsession with you stems from his master’s.” You quietly finish. “He has good in him that he hasn’t been able to nurture, and Dobby was proof of that.” You take a deep breath and blow it out as you tilt your head up, basking in the warmth of the sun on your face. “I believed in you, you know?” You look back to Harry, a toothy grin bright on your face, sun glinting on Harry’s glasses. “I told Draco I did, and I always will, Harry. And now I know that I’ll always believe in him too.”
—
It’s what seems like months later, but probably only a few weeks at the most, that Dean, Luna and yourself are all summoned to Hogwarts by Neville.
“You still have your coin?” You gape in shock at Dean who has a cheeky grin, the fake Galleon from Dumbledore’s Army laying on his palm.
“You bet. Used it all the time to keep in contact with everyone. Best thing for sending messages.” Then he frowns. “What happened to yours?”
You grimace. “Ah, well, I reckon my things got thrown out when I never went back for them at the inn in the beginning of the school year.” He quirks his head in confusion and you give a rueful grin. “I’ve been in Malfoy Manor since September, I don’t think I’ve got a single thing of mine left. They nicked my wand as soon as they could.”
He glared. “Oh,” he rumbled out darkly. “Malfoy had no choice?”
You shrug. “It was either let them torture me or watch them kill me. Not really much a choice there, is it?”
“Is it almost time?” Luna interrupts and you both turn to look at her. You smile at her sweet grin.
“Yeah, it is. Can you apparate or do you need help?”
She shakes her head. “I’m still not able to. May I hold onto you?”
You turn to Dean. “Can you do it wandless or are you coming with us?”
He frowns. “I can’t. I’d need my wand to do it.”
“Sorry Ollivander couldn’t send you a wand too,” you look at him in sympathy, “I think it’s only cause he was with Luna and I for so long that he was able to make us each one quickly.” As he waves you off you grin and grab both of their hands. “Well, just your luck that I’m actually pretty good at it.” And with that you spin and with a quiet pop the three of you appear in Hogs Head.
The barman of Hog’s Head, who is properly introduced as Aberforth, grumpily instructs you to follow through a tunnel behind the portrait of a young pretty girl who smiles brightly at you. “I ain’t no train station,” he grouches, “make sure you tell your friends that. I can’t have a kip if there’s kids coming and going at every hour of the night.”
The three of you smile to each other as you thank him and make sure to pass the message along, and then make your way through the passage only to find another door that opens into a large room filled with so many of your previous classmates.
“Ginny!” You scream, and she turns to see you with eyes widened in shock and catches you as you fling yourself into her arms. You both cry as you hold each other tightly, and you don’t let go for several minutes.
Eventually you draw back and see everyone around you greeting Dean, Luna and yourself, and then you realize that Harry, Hermione and Ron are also there. “When did you get here?”
Hermione grimaces as Ron leads a hobbling Harry a small ways away. “We just got here. We just found out we have something we need to do here.”
“Y/N,” you hear, and you turn to see Blaise and Theo behind you. “Are you ok?”
You feel yourself crying again as you throw yourself in Blaises’ arms, and then Theos’ as well. “Oh, it’s so good to see you. I only saw you a few times when I was-“ you cut yourself off, not sure what they’ve told others while here at Hogwarts.
Blaise sighs. “It’s fine. We’ve told the others everything; we wanted them to trust us and that means everyone here knows the truth.” You look to Theo who nods.
“They told us what you’ve had to go through at Malfoy Manor,” you turn to Seamus. “We might not trust most of the Slytherins, but we at least know that Malfoy has been making sure to keep our families as safe as he can.” He looks as if he doesn’t want to admit the Slytherins are on their side but is trying to stop it from showing on his face.
You laugh at him to Seamus’ surprise. “Of course he is; if I could endure it for everyone so could he.”
Seamus sighs. “Yeah, I see that now.”
Everyone then starts arguing with Harry, yelling about wanting to help fight along them, even Dean who doesn’t have a wand, and finally the Trio agree to accept their help. Blaise and Theo each put a hand on your shoulders while you hold Ginnys’ hand from behind her as you all listen to Harry. When Luna agrees to take Harry up to Ravenclaw Tower so they can see what the diadem looks like, your hand tightens on Ginnys’. After the two leave through the tunnel Ginny leads you, Blaise and Theo to sit down in a corner. Your eyes drink in the Room of Requirement and how different it looks since fifth year.
“Everyone’s been hiding out here since they’ve started really cracking down on trying to capture us,” Neville says as he sits next to the four of you. You turn to him. “I found it again and it kind of just turned into,” he gestures to the hanging hammocks and tapestries around them in all four house colours, “this.”
You smile as you shove your face into Ginnys’ shoulder. “It’s wonderful.”
—
It’s less than an hour later when other students are running into the room crying out about Snape being ousted from the school. Your heart drops, because there’s a part of you that still doesn’t know where the man’s allegiance truly lies. He’d told you before to have faith in Draco, and had also tried to save you from the other Death Eaters; but he’d also been the person to kill Dumbledore and there was no one who’d forget that.
But then again, Draco had let the Death Eaters into the school and you hadn’t deserted him…
After that it’s absolute chaos. Everyone’s running around readying themselves for war, Dean’s looking for a wand, and when everyone’s gathered in the Great Hall and Voldemort’s voice resounds through the castle grounds you’re petrified with fear. Blaise and Theo don’t leave your side, and it’s only because of them that you don’t strangle Parkinson when she screams for someone to grab Harry.
You’re running back to the room when you see the rest of the Weasley’s and Ginny screaming at her mom.
“I can fight! You can’t leave me behind where I don’t even know what’s happening to you!”
Mrs. Weasley looks like she’s going to cry, but her face remains firm. “You’re not going to join this fight and that’s final! You’re just a child-“
“I’ve almost died already! I’ve more than earned this! I refuse to hide while the rest of my family fights!”
“I’ll take her!” You scream, interrupting them. Ginny whirls around at your voice, and you flinch at the betrayed look on her face. “I’ll make sure she stays here, Mrs. Weasley! I’ll keep her safe.”
Mrs. Weasley grabs your face gently. “Oh, my dear. You’ve already been through so much. Please stay here, stay safe. Whatever the truth about the young Malfoy lad is, you never deserved any of it.”
You can’t stop the frown that appears on your face. “Draco,” you emphasize, “could either watch me be tortured or watch me die. I rather think one is worse than the other.”
Mrs Weasley flinches. “Yes,” she murmurs, “yes, I suppose you’re right.” She releases your face and looks at the twins who shuffle in admonishment. “I’ll be having words with you two for letting your sister come,” then she turns to you, “I’ll trust you to keep Ginevra safe, Y/N. You’re both strong, brave young women. I have no doubt of that.” And before she can bound away the door opens once more, Percy falling though.
You drag Ginny a short distance away while her brother begs for forgiveness and she sneers at you while you hiss out, “I had to do something to convince her to leave! What do you expect?”
She frowns. “You lied to my mum?”
You grimace. “Sounds horrible when you say it like that.”
She grins. “Wicked.” Then she turns to her family with a dark frown. “I suppose I have no choice, then?”
Her brothers all look to their mom who stands tall with her hands on her hips. “I would keep all of you out of this if I had a choice. You’re still underage, Ginevra. I can at least make sure my daughter will be as safe as possible.”
Ginny glares at her. “Nowhere is safe, mum. Voldemort will kill all of us, whether we’re kids or not.”
Mrs. Weasley just glares back before almost running down the hall to join the rest of the Order of the Phoenix.
Percy stares at Ginny for a moment. “I haven’t been a good big brother for a while, Ginny, but I wouldn’t risk you for anything.” Fred and George both grip her shoulders tightly before following their big brother.
You and Ginny stand there, watching them turn the corner, before looking back at each other. She flinches as she says, “I feel bad now. Like I’m betraying them.”
You shrug your shoulders. “I know. But I also know you’re not the kind of person to wait around doing nothing.” She smirks at you and you grin back. “I promised I’d do everything to protect you, but I didn’t say I’d do it from the Room of Requirement.”
—
(SA attempt in this scene. I’ll add another note at the end of it with a short summery if you want to skip this.)
You lose Ginny sometime during the battle. One minute she was there and the next she was gone. You scream out her name but before you can run to look for her you hear a dark growl. You turn to see Greyback in a weird half transformation, staring at you with slitted, dark, hooded eyes and your breath catches in your throat. You narrowly dodge a blast of green light and shoot your own spell back at the Death Eater before turning and running from the room. You run down the hall, terrified, and round the corner before being body slammed against the wall. You cough hard, unable to move, before someone grabs you roughly by the throat and drags you behind a suit of armor.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Dracos’ little pet bird,” Greyback growls out as tears spring to your eyes. You try to claw at his hand but the fingers tighten and he grabs your wrists with his other hand and yanks them above your head. “Keep them still or I’ll rip your throat out,” he purrs darkly, voice dripping with venom.
You grit your teeth and squeeze your eyes shut, turning your face to the side as he rips your shirt open and shoves one of his hands down your trousers. “Please,” you whisper, and he laughs but says nothing.
In the next moment he grunts and falls to the side while you hear someone scream your name. You open your eyes to see a blurry form of Draco, Blaise and Theo running up to you. “Draco?” You mumble out.
He kneels down next to you and rushes to close your shirt, tears rolling down his cheeks. “It’s ok!” He gasps out. “It’s ok! He didn’t do anything!”
Theo points his wand and says, “Reparo,” while Blaise stands in front of the lot of you, wand in his hand.
You look up past Draco and see Parkinson staring down at Greyback, wand in her hand still pointing at the unmoving body. She turns back to you and for a moment you see worry flash through her eyes, before it disappears and a sneer evolves on her face. “There!” She spits at you. “I’ve saved you, now I’ve made up for trying to sell out Potter!”
“Why?” Blaise says, eyes narrowed.
She sniffs, somehow looking regal with ripped robes and soot on her face. “There are some thing even I wouldn’t condone, Zabini.” And before anyone can say another word she turns and runs down the hall.
(Note of what happens:
Greyback finds you and makes an attempt behind some armor but before he can do anything more than a touch, Pansy kills him and Draco, Theo and Blaise appear. She admits that she wouldn’t condone something like that before running off.)
Draco gathers you up in his arms as Blaise and Theo stay in front of the armor, protecting the two of you for as long as they can. “What happened?” You say as you grab his singed robes.
He looks down in defeat. “Your Golden Trio were looking for something in the Room of Requirement and Crabbe and Goyle followed them. I went after them and tried to stop them but…” he trails off before hiccuping, “Crabbe started a fire that couldn’t be stopped and he-“ he cut off.
You stand up, pulling him up with you. “Fiendfyre?” You whisper and he nods. You hug him as hard as you can for a few seconds before pulling back. “How do you have a wand? Harry took yours.”
“My mums. She gave it to me.”
“She loves you very much.”
He drags you back to him in a hug and after a moment he growls out, “Yeah, she does. But I can’t do it anymore.” You glance up at him but he’s not looking at you. “I’m done, Y/N. I’m done with him, no matter what my parents think. I refuse to follow him anymore; he’s evil and my parents refuse to do anything against him. I’ll fight until I can’t.”
You take a deep breath, then pull back with a smile. “Then I guess you’re finally on our side, Draco Malfoy.” And Draco smiles before he finally kisses you for the first time, and you fall in love with him all over again.
—
Harry is dead. The thought runs through your mind, over and over again, but you can’t believe it until you hear Ginny scream. You look and see her struggle against her father, trying her hardest to reach Hagrid who’s carrying—.
“No,” you whisper, and Draco grips your hand tightly. “Draco, he can’t-“ you choke off. You hear Blaise hiss in a breath in front of you, and Theo growls from behind you. “There’s no way.”
“Draco,” Voldemort rasps out, and everyone turns to look at the two of you. Voldemort grins, and you flinch. “Draco, my boy. I’m so proud. Come, come,” he laughs, and you stare at Draco, eyes tearing up. He glances down at you, before his face hardens and he squeezes your hand before walking down the steps towards Voldemort. You step forward, trying to follow, but Theo grabs you from behind and drags you back.
“No,” you whisper, voice too thick with tears to be any louder.
“Y/N,” Blaise says, face dark, “he’s made his choice. There’s nothing you can do.”
“Draco, Draco,” Voldemort laughs as he hugs Draco, “I’m so proud, you’ve done a good job. I’m sure your parents are happy as well.”
“Draco,” you see Narcissa hiss as she reaches for her son, “come along. Now!” She snaps. He stands there, looking lost, but is interrupted by Voldemort laughing out loud and speaking of how you can all join him and rejoice.
Draco is still standing there ignoring his parents who keep hissing out his name, when Neville walks up, and you all watch stunned as Neville yells at Voldemort. The dark wizard laughs darkly before summoning the Sorting Hat and throwing it at him.
“It seems you haven’t learned your place,” he growls out as he sets Neville and the hat aflame. You start screaming along with others, but then gasp in amazement as Neville stands and pulls a bright sword from the hat and slashes at Voldemort’s snake, her head flying through the air. You hear him bellow in fury, but then stare in shock as Harry falls from Hagrid’s arms and screams out Voldemort’s name.
“Harry!” Draco cries as he throws his wand at Harry, who grabs it from the air and immediately shoots protego’s throughout the group. You run forward, seeing Draco wrestle with a Death Eater and steal his wand before shooting him and others around him. Blaise and Theo follow you, and you see Ginny out of the corner of your eye following Harry to the Great Hall.
“Draco!” You scream, shooting behind him, “what-!” You gasp out, unable to finish your sentence.
He gives as cheeky a grin as he’s able. “You said you believed in Harry, Y/N! I figured I could too!”
And you laugh, blinking away the tears in your eyes, joining the others in the fray, shooting spells at Death Eaters and protecting those you see with turned backs.
Everyone somehow congregates in the Great Hall and the showdown between Harry and Voldemort is terrifying. You can barely breath, fingers gripped tightly on Draco’s hand, as you watch Harry and Voldemort circle each other, speaking with each other. Your heart soars when Harry speaks of how Snape was truly Dumbledore’s man, because that means he really didn’t betray you, he really did worry in some way; even when you gasp out a sob when Voldemort brags about killing the previous Headmaster.
And then they throw a spell at each other, and just a moment later Voldemort lays there, motionless and silent; and it’s amazing how small and pale the once terrifying wizard was. There’s silence before a raucous cheer rings through the hall and the remaining Death Eaters switch from trying to attack to trying to escape but are stopped by everyone and it hits you.
“We’ve won,” you gasp out as you fall to your knees. Draco kneels down with you and you see him, covered in cuts and bruises, face filled with tears and a smile, and you grab him and drag his face down to you and kiss him once more. He grabs at your face and returns it. You both pull back and laugh, loud and happy and free.
“We’re free, Y/N,” he breathes out, “we’re finally free.”
—
There’s more funerals than you want to count, and Freds’ punches a massive hole through your gut. Ginny grabs at both you and Harry and won’t leave from her seat. Percy and George refuse to leave the casket for a long time and you learn about how Percy was the last one Fred had spoken to and you hold nothing but heartbreak for the Weasley son who’d watched his little brother die right in front of his eyes.
You go to every single funeral and Draco comes with you, full of repentance and accepting the glares and hatred at many of them. You argue for him, speaking of how he’d refused to find the Muggleborns and their families for the Dark Lord himself, and in doing so had to watch you be tortured on an almost daily basis. It subdues many of those who want to blame him, and instead rumors begin to spread of a Malfoy defying Voldemort because of his love for a Muggleborn.
It’s a love story that Rita Skeeter somehow gets the scoop on and it’s upsetting how much information she’s able to find. Hermione smirks when she reads the newspaper and then says she has a letter to send. The next day Skeeter writes an apology for exposing so much information with no permission and you can’t help but be curious at the uncomfortable and scared looks both Harry and Ron give a weirdly cheery Hermione.
Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy are another story.
They’d apparently run around the final battle, screaming for Draco and not fighting a single person and it solidifies how much they truly love their son which Harry uses to his advantage at the trials of all three Malfoy’s. Narcissa’s had been the easiest to convince the jury; she’d lied to Voldemort’s face that Harry Potter had died. For Draco, Harry had spoken of how he’d adamantly said that he hadn’t been Harry Potter after being captured; then he said how Draco had made sure to not find Muggleborns and their families even though you’d been tortured constantly for it; and then finally told them about how he’d defied Voldemort to his face by giving Harry his own wand so that he could fight Voldemort.
Lucius had been harder to convince the jury, especially because there was nothing else Harry could say about him, aside from unflattering things.
“I’m glad,” you tell Draco at the table during breakfast the morning after Lucius’ sentence has been publicized, “that your family was pardoned.” The paper says that the full Malfoy family has been pardoned because they’d defected from Voldemort before the end of the war.
Draco’s quiet from his seat next to you as he glances at the paper. “Yeah, I’m glad that we were able to avoid Azkaban. I expected at least a few years, honestly.”
You frown at him. “You’d never be sentenced to Azkaban. Harry wouldn’t allow it.”
He grimaces. “Potter only has so much influence.” You don’t say anything but just grab his hand.
“Draco,” your mom says with a smile. You immediately fold the paper so she can’t read it easily. She, thankfully, pretends to not notice. “Are you hungry? I’ve finished making breakfast.”
Draco smiles gently up at her. “Thank you, Mrs. Y/L/N, that sounds wonderful, I appreciate it. Would you like help with anything?”
Your mom blushes with a grin. “Such a gentleman. You just sit down with Y/N, I’ll bring you both plates.”
She leaves the room and the smile falls from Draco’s face. “Are you ever going to tell your parents the truth?” He gestures to the paper.
You scoff as you put the paper back on the table, still folded. “They know what they need to know. I’m alive, safe and healthy, and the bad guys have lost. That’s all that matters.”
“You’re not healthy,” you flinch as you hear your dads voice when he sits down next to you and yanks the paper out from under your arms. “You haven’t been fine since you got back. Your mom and I both know it, we’ve just been patiently waiting for you to tell us the truth. You’re back home and we’ve been thankful enough for that until now.”
He flaps it out and glances through the wizarding newspaper and you slouch down in your seat while Draco’s head falls and his hands tighten around his teacup. “I’m guessing this is your father?” You and Draco glance at each other.
“Yes, sir,” he confesses quietly.
It’s silent for a long time while your dad reads the paper. “It says that Y/N was taken into your home during this past year.”
“Yeah,” Draco croaks out.
Your dad drops the paper on the table and leans his head back as he runs his fingers through his hair. You watch him and flinch as you notice his mouth set in a grim line. “Can you tell me what happened?” He rubs his face before sitting back up and grabbing at your arm to run his fingers up and down your scars that Bellatrix had carved into your skin.
“Dad-“ you whisper.
“It was my fault, sir,” Draco says and stands up, face set in grim determination. His hands grip the edge of the table so hard his knuckles are white. “Y/N is…,” he gulps visibly, and your dad is silent, eyes hard as he stares at Draco, and you notice your mom standing right outside the door, listening quietly, “she’s extremely important to me and they knew that. My parents were wrong in so many ways and I grew up with my future already planned out for me. I would never have been allowed to choose something like this for myself. Because she’s not a pureblood I couldn’t risk anything.”
“Draco was never ashamed of me,” you say, looking straight at your father. He doesn’t look away from Draco but you know he’s listening. “We knew it was dangerous and decided to only ever be friends until there’d come a time that we could…,” you trail off as you look up at Draco who’s still looking directly at your dad, “could hopefully change things. One of my friends is a Muggleborn like me, and she’s extremely intelligent! She’s planning on working in the Ministry to change the laws!”
Your father hums, but doesn’t look away from Draco either. “That’s not what I’m talking about.”
You wince as you shrink back into your seat. Your mum walks into the room with a tray filled with biscuits, scones and fresh tea. “We hear you sometimes, you know.” You flinch and don’t look up from the table. “You normally do that spell where we can’t hear anything from your room, but sometimes you forget and we hear your screams while you’re sleeping.” Her hands are in fists on the table and her voice is thick and angry. “We know there’s nothing we can do. We’re not really part of your world and we can’t come and go as we please; but you are part of our world. You’re our daughter, my baby girl. We can’t help you through this! And if this,” she roughly gestures to the paper, “is to be believed then that means he watched it happen! I’m letting this person into my house when he-“
“They tortured me because I told him not to kill our classmates,” you interrupt her flatly. She sucks in a sharp breath and you continue, “Colin Creevey was 16 when he snuck into Hogwarts to fight with us at the final battle and he died. He, his younger brother Dennis and their muggle family were on the run for the entire year before. Our friend Dean Thomas had to go on the run for the entire year and his muggle family went into hiding; and he still got captured and ended up in the Manor with me and the others. The only reason you two were safe was because I sent you away.” You glare at her. “Draco had to watch me, at least every other day, be tortured with curses by his own aunt; he was being punished because I told him to not find a single one of our classmates. Our friends.” A spike of fury sweeps through you, and you stand up and snarl, “I’m the only reason some of them are alive! It was either I be tortured but stay alive, or I sit there fine in the dungeons while my friends are forcibly murdered by Draco’s hands! What else could we have done!?”
There’s tears streaming down your mother’s face and she says nothing. Your father lays a hand on your tightly clenched fist. “We don’t understand what you went through, and we likely never will. We just don’t understand how you can date the person who let it happen.”
You rip your hand from his and rub your face in frustration. “Why don’t you understand!?” You all but screech at them. “There was no choice! We had no other options! The only reason I wasn’t killed on sight as a Muggleborn was because they thought they could use me against Draco!”
“And they were right,” Draco mumbles as you all look at him. His face is gaunt and pale, and he looks like he could cry at any given moment. “I would’ve killed anyone they asked me to if it would’ve kept her safe. But I couldn’t,” he chokes out, “because she begged me not to. Every time they hurt her and she screamed I wanted to die. I wanted to kill my aunt when she laughed as she tortured Y/N. And every time I would heal her as much as they allowed me and she’d tell me how proud she was that I didn’t find the people they’d sent me to find. She would remind me every time that Harry would save us. And he did. He saved her when I couldn’t…,” Draco trailed off.
“They captured Harry and the others,” you grit out. “They captured them and yelled in Draco’s face about if that was Harry Potter or not. Can you imagine,” you scoff, “your mum, your dad, your deranged Death Eater aunt, and a homicidal werewolf who’d eat you without a second thought; all screaming at you in tandem about identifying the very person who could save the Wizarding World? And do you know what he told them? He said that it wasn’t! He told them, confidently, that it wasn’t Harry Potter and he had no idea who it was!”
Your mum and dad are both quiet as they watch you and Draco, and tears appear in your eyes. “You don’t know what I’ve been through, I did all I could to make sure of that, but you have to understand that it was war. It wasn’t just a fight, or an argument. Mum,” you whisper as she bites her lip and tears flow down her cheeks, “it was war. I fought people, I watched my friends die. I-I killed people too. I’m never going to be the same person I was before, none of us are. But we can start to be happy.” You grab Draco’s hand and your dad glances down at them. “I think we deserve that.”
The silence drags on, and a pang of doubt throbs in your chest before your dad stands and grabs Draco by the shoulders and brings him into a tight hug. “There’s nothing I could’ve done for my daughter. Thank you for protecting her as much as you could.”
You hiccup out a cry as your mum runs to grab you and squeeze you tight to her. “My baby,” she quietly cries out, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s ok,” you whisper in her ear, “it’s ok. I’m here, I’m fine. I’m alive, mum.”
You all stay like that for a long time until your mom releases you to drag Draco from your fathers arms into her own and whisper apologies and thanks into his ears.
Your dad hugs you as well, and you can feel him crying quietly into your shoulder. “I’m here, dad,” you cry, “I’m safe. I’m home.”
Your mum and dad almost immediately after demand to introduce him to the rest of the family, and brag of what a smart, strong young man he is. And Draco feels so awkward around Muggles that he doesn’t understand, but he’s a fast learner, and he loves your parents and you know you love him so truly and ardently that you finally agree to properly meet his parents as well.
—
Lucius Malfoy has always terrified you as a child. Since the moment Draco began throwing his fathers name around you imagined this extremely tall, sneering ice-cold man who looked like an adult version of Draco. The way that he’d spoken of his father as a teenager didn’t help. The fact that Draco refused to even try speaking to his father of just maybe liking a Muggleborn was telling. An imposing, foreboding, frightening man had always been how you’d seen Lucius Malfoy.
The actual man you’d met during the war was different. He was twitchy, hesitant, and he himself was always frightened. It was a far cry from who you’d seen from down the train station and who you’d imagined for years in your head. He was quiet whenever he’d looked at you, and had never spoken one word of insult to either you or Draco. He also never participated in the torture sessions, and instead would stand with Draco as if to support him.
Narcissa had also been different from what you’d imagined. In your mind she’d been a distant, cold woman with a tight line of a mouth. You’d had dreams that you’d wake from with a start where you met her and she’d sneer and call you Mudblood, and you always wondered if Draco was just romanticizing the motherly affection she’d show him.
And then you met her at the Manor along with her husband and she also couldn’t have been further from the truth. She’d sneak you extra bits of food when she could; simple things that couldn’t be spotted as extra, or some juice in a water cup, and every once in a while she’d give you a small piece of chocolate after a particularly nasty session with her sister if she was there, and would gently run her fingers through your hair and whisper words that you could never make out. You haven’t even told Draco about that, and you don’t know why but you feel oddly possessive of the memories.
Everyone agrees that Malfoy Manor isn’t the best place to formally be introduced and instead you and Draco apparate to a quaint cottage in France that they’ve been staying at. It seems modest and small and you look at Draco questioningly. He shrugs. “I think there was too much space. They didn’t like the quiet.”
The large rooms filled with loud screams and mangled bodies flash through your mind. “Yeah,” you agree, “that’s probably for the best.”
As soon as the two of you pass the wards on the high steel fence the door opens and Narcissa walks out with a smile on her face. She grabs at Draco and pulls him into a gentle hug. “My dear, we’re so happy you came to see us. Your father’s been resting since coming home from his trial.” She lets him go and then turns to you. You’re standing ramrod straight and her eyes sadden a tad as she grabs your hands. “Oh, my dear. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to see you. I’m so happy that you both have come to visit,” she smiles kindly at you.
It’s odd, you think to yourself, that she’s changed so drastically to the point where she’s smiling so openly. The times that you’d seen them at the train station and around Diagon Alley they’d been stern faced and standoffish. But she’s so kind and gentle now, and it hurts you a bit to think that the reason she’s like this is because of what you all have gone through.
She leads the two of you into the parlour where you see Lucius in a large cushioned chair, newspaper open in his lap and tea on the side table next to him. You notice that he’s not wearing the high end robes that he normally used to, and a proper glance at Narcissa shows that she’s also wearing plainer clothes than before. He stands up and gives Draco a quick hug, then turns to look at you.
“Hello, Y/N,” he rumbles out quietly, and it’s strange to hear how he speaks so faintly now, “it’s wonderful to meet you properly now.” He gestures to his wife who’s had a house elf set tea down for the lot of you, “We would like for this to be an enjoyable memory for you.”
You look to Draco who’s staring intently at you, and you realize that this was done for you. The three planned the small cottage in a quiet, little place to try their best to put you at ease, and you turn back to Lucius with a large smile on your face. “Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. I really appreciate it.”
Narcissa tuts as she walks over and fusses over you, leading you to a chair to sit. “Please, none of that. I think,” she brushes your hair out of your face and the memories of her flash through your mind again, “I think we’re past that, darling.”
“Thank you,” you whisper. She says nothing as she gently pats your cheek.
—
Epilogue:
The raucous blend of people talking and the train whistles are so ear-splittingly enjoyable that you can’t help but smile. Draco follows behind you, hand on your youngest son Scorpius’ shoulder as he pushes his trolley, while your youngest daughter Eve clings to your hand. Felix, your eldest, is ahead of you pushing his own trolley, excitement visible on his face.
“Mum!” He almost yells, “I see them!” He scampers off before you can say another word, narrowly avoiding hitting anyone with his luggage. You sigh as you follow.
“Mummy,” Eve frowns up at you, “I don’t think it’s very polite of him to run off like that.”
You swallow down a laugh. Eve is almost a carbon copy of her father in both looks and personality, and you smile down at her. “He’s very excited about going back to school, I’d say we can excuse him this one time; what do you think?”
She thinks deeply for a moment before sighing. “Very well, mummy. I guess so.” You have to turn to the side to hide your quiet snicker before taking a deep breath and catching up with your eldest.
“Hey!” You call and smile brightly at everyone turning to look. “We got another first year for you all!”
Ginny grins brightly at you as she gives you a large hug and then bends down to give Scorpius his own. “Nervous?” She half whispers, and he nods, face pale. “It’ll be ok,” she smiles as she pats him on the head. “Your brother, James, and everyone else is already there to help you out. And Albus and Rose are starting with you too.”
“But what if I’m the only one in Slytherin?” He mumbles out. Draco grips Scorpius’ shoulder comfortingly and Ginny smiles up at him quickly before looking down at Scorpius, but before she can say anything Albus bounds over next to her and interrupts her.
“My dad just told me that it doesn’t matter what house we go in, but if it’s really that important then we can just tell the Sorting Hat where we want to go!”
You look at Harry who shrugs with a grin, and Ginny rolls her eyes. “Well, regardless of that, it’s true that it doesn’t matter what house you’re in, we’re all still your family.” She smiles as Scorpius shuffles his feet and gives a small nod. Albus grins brightly at him and gestures for him to grab his luggage and bring it on board the train.
“Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione,” Draco nods at them.
Hermione smiles. “Hullo, Draco. It’s great to see Scorpius, Rose was excited to be with the two of them this year.
“Draco, Y/N,” Ron nods before helping gather Rose’s luggage onto the train.
Harry nods at Draco. “He nervous too?” At Draco’s nod he grins. “James has been terrorizing Albus by telling him he’ll go to Slytherin.” Draco crinkles his nose and Harry gives a bark of laughter. “Don’t worry, I told him why I named him after Severus, and James promised he’ll be there to help them if they need it.”
“Unless Scorp gets sorted into Hufflepuff like Felix. Then he’ll need more than help,” Ron laughs out as he walks off the train causing Draco to glare at him and you elbow him in the ribs. He coughs as he rubs at it and you pretend to not notice.
“Mummy was a Hufflepuff and she’s great,” Eve glares up at Ron, “and daddy was a Slytherin and he’s the best too.”
Ron rubs his head in embarrassment. “Er, yeah, you’re right about that Evie, sorry.”
She humphs and crosses her arms. “It’s not Evie, it’s Eve.” Ron apologizes again and Draco gives him a smug grin. Ginny and Hermione laugh as Harry rolls his eyes.
“Teddy and Victorie are snogging!!” James yells from the train. You all turn, and he groans in exasperation. “Why aren’t you all shocked!? He’s SNOGGING her!”
“That sounds lovely,” Rose says from next to him as she’s stepping off the train, the boys following behind her. “Hell really be part of the family then.”
James rolls his eyes. “He’s already over for dinner almost every night, it’s not like he’s not family.”
The train whistles and everyone rushes for hugs. You hug Felix quickly because he rushes back to James with a whoop, but Scorpius clings tightly to you. He’s trying to hide his tears and you kneel down to wipe his face. “It’s ok, Scorpius,” you smile. “Everyone’s a little scared at first, but you’re going to love it.”
“Really?” He mumbles from your chest. You smile as you pet his hair.
“I promise. We’ll write you every day if you want.” He gives a little huff of a laugh as he pulls back.
“You don’t have to do it every day.”
“How bout every other day then?” You grin as he smiles.
“I’ll write you all the time, and if someone’s mean to you then tell me and I’ll write to Fred,” Eve says firmly as she shoves her way into his arms.
Draco laughs. “That’s mean, Eve.” She ignores him and he rolls his eyes.
Scorpius follows Albus and Rose on the Hogwarts Express and they all run into their compartment where they stick their heads out the window and wave to the lot of you. Lily Hugo, and Eve all run after the train as far as they can, waving until it’s out of sight.
Ginny grabs your arm and you smile up at her. “It’s wonderful, isn’t it?” She says.
“Hmm? What is?”
She pulls you along with her, following everyone; Harry and Hermione are talking about something to do with work, Draco and Ron are chatting about Quidditch, and Lily, Hugo and Eve are excitedly talking about when they’ll be able to follow their siblings to school. “Life. We’re here and we’re happy.”
You look at everyone and your heart feels fit to burst. “Yeah,” you smile as you lean your head on her shoulder. “It’s wonderful.”