FAILSAFE

Chapter Two

The sudden movement of the train taking the bend in the tracks jolted Draco awake. It had been several weeks since he had been in the dingy cell at Azkaban with Kingsley. They transported him to the infirmary, where they fed him strength potions and antidotes to counter the damage the prison had done to his body until his magic came back. He could remember clearly the moment it had sparked below his skin for the first time. A powerful, profound feeling of completeness washed over him and a gentle, yet euphoric buzz spread throughout his body.

He was unaccompanied in the cabin as he made his way to Hogwarts. In the dense fog of the early morning, they ushered him in and he noticed that there were no other passengers in sight. He tried to eavesdrop on the muted whispers of the hospital wing staff, but they had not provided him with any insight into who would be returning or the state of the castle. The only useful information was that once the war was over, they had left the school vacant as the rest of the wizarding world descended into chaos and disarray. Those who sought power attempted to seize it, and the trials were swift and with little warning.

The healer he saw at Azkaban told him that his missing memories would probably come back in time. His mind was protecting itself after losing his magic. The intensity of his occlumency and Dementor exposure could be a contributing factor. He wasn't sure he even wanted the memories.The lack of awareness of his duration in isolation was almost comforting.

He felt an abrupt jolt of dread as the train came to a screeching halt. It was a strange and confusing experience for him to be out in the open. The light and swift movements of others made him feel unsteady. The screams of the prison had stopped, but the lack of sound left too much space for his thoughts. He attempted to rise from the bench, forgetting for a moment that they restrained him to it. The dull ache in his limbs was a constant reminder that he could not move freely since he had regained his magic. It was for his and their safety, he was told, but he didn't mind. Someone had always shackled him in one way or another, so he found it oddly calming, the security of it all.

Draco sat there, trying to make out the shapes of people in the shadows as he heard them pass, their voices just out of reach. He watched as the sun fell, and the sky filled with stars, the light deepening with each passing moment, and he released a broken breath. The darkness felt like a soothing embrace, blocking out everything but what was within sight. There was comfort in not being able to see what was to come. The calm would wash over him, wrapping him in a comforting hug. The ability to not distinguish what was coming used to unnerve him, however, now he didn't mind the bliss of the unknown.

He was no longer watching the Chosen One for his father. No longer on a mission to kill the most powerful wizard the world had ever seen. No longer was he a pawn in a game that he had never wanted to be a part of.

He had been so engrossed in his thoughts that the knock on his door startled him. When the entrance opened, a wave of warmth hit him as he noticed Kingsley. It had been a while since he had encountered the Minister in his cell and signed his pardon. While being examined by the Azkaban healer's Draco had overheard their snide remarks, how the staff had informed him that he would not be returning anytime soon. To the shock of them all, Kingsley had arrived just as Draco was to be taken from Azkaban to the castle, cracking jokes about the staff's incompetence. Despite his jests, Draco knew there was an undercurrent of truth to the Minister's words and the likelihood of Draco making it to his next location was slim if he didn't join him. The feeling of being cared for, more than his father ever had, was too much to take in. The wizard's mischievous smile was infectious, and he felt himself grinning in response, though it was barely a slight upward curve of his lips.

Kingsley strode ahead and Draco didn't flinch as he lifted his wand and freed him. "Hey, you can't..." The Minister's sharp words quickly silenced the guard. "Seems I can." Sneering, he turned back to Draco, placing his hand on his shoulder.