Chapter 1

“Mr. Malfoy, thank you for staying behind,” Snape drones in his monotone voice. “you’re excelling in your studies and have surpassed the expectation of this class. Therefore, I would like you to work on an assignment separate from the regular class.” The professor rifles through some drawers before pulling out a small stack of papers. “Your task is to become an Animagus. It will require knowledge of potions charms and transfiguration. I think it will challenge you and maybe heighten your skills. Here are your instructions.” He handed Draco the stack of papers and shooed him out the door. “Do not disappoint me,” were Snape’s final words before the door shut behind him.

Draco is unsurprised. His favorite class had always been potions. With his recent study habits, it was no wonder that he had an extra assignment. He glanced at the pages before storing them in his bag and making his way up the long set of stairs from the dungeons. This was his morning routine from the Slytherin dormitories to the Great Hall for breakfast. The Slytherin table which normally was filled to the brim with students was only 1/3 full. This was because many of the student’s parents had it aligned with the Dark Lord. This caused the students to fear enormous harassment and scrutiny. Which inevitably drove them away.

It wasn’t like they were wrong either. Mental or the occasional physical harassment or normal for him. “Deatheater”, “Traitor” and “Monster” We’re just a few of the regular names. When things got physical, he was normally punched and kicked. It wasn’t as though he didn’t deserve it, after all, he had a hand in ending Dumbledore’s life. On top of that, he repaired the vanishing cabinet for the first invasion of Hogwarts. Draco knew it hurt, but it couldn’t possibly compare to the suffering he had caused.

He sat down at the table, grabbing a slice of toast, some jam, and orange juice. He spread the germ evenly across the toast and glanced over at the Gryffindor table. It was full of joyful chatter. And at the center of it all, the golden trio. Hermione Granger The smartest girl at Hogwarts, Ron Weasley the sixth son of the Weasley family, And last but not least Harry Potter. He was the golden boy, savior of the Wizarding world, and most important Draco, a hero. The courageous hero who saved his enemy from a cursed fire.

Draco Held deep gratitude for that day, it had given him the realization that he was on the wrong side. To express this gratitude, he wore a gold bracelet that had red beads reading the word Savior. It was small and normally went unnoticed. Draco didn’t mind though, because truthfully it was kind of embarrassing. He finished eating and made his way to the Courtyard. Draco planned to read over the instructions Professor Snape had given him. Well, the horrible memories of what went down in the courtyard kept most away, this was the 1st place Draco worked on the right side.

He had given Harry his wand, the wand that defeated the Dark Lord. Harry later found him and returned his wand saying, “thanks for choosing the right side.” As if all along he knew Draco would give him his wand. He knew how much suffering everyone had gone through and still shouldered it.

Over the summer Draco stayed to repair the damaged school, for he didn’t have a home to go back to. His dad was in prison and his mom was in hiding. The courtyard had been one of the many places he had helped repair. He tried to use as little magic as possible, learning the fulfillment of physical work and getting his hands dirty. Almost nobody stayed the whole summer to repair the ancient building. The select few are Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, Cho Chang, and Seamus Finnigan.

When he first encountered them while working, he tried to avoid eye contact, better not cause anger. That was until he bumped into Seamus and began to apologize profusely. Shamus said something along the lines of “it’s OK, I wasn’t looking where I was going.” The thing that Draco most remembered during that encounter was Seamus’s face at that moment. He wore a kind smile, a forgiving smile. After that Draco tried to make conversation with the others gaining some confidence. By the end of the summer, he had befriended them all. He hadn’t known true friendship, except for Pansy. It was nice to have more friends. The courtyard always made him remember that and smile. Sometimes the others would join him here too. Sitting down on the stone, he opened up his bag and pulled out the small stack of papers.