No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

One: Draco Malfoy Does Something Right (For Once)

Chilly, biting winds howled as he sat on the edge of the mossy stone bridge, just outside of the school he'd spent just about half his life in. Other than the playful air currents, the only sound was his own, surprisingly calm breaths and his foot tapping against the stone.

This was the right thing to do, he just knew it was. 

Though, if the blonde haired slytherin were being completely honest, he was surprised he'd made it this far. He'd expected to chicken out long before this, end up following his parents like the cowardly little whelp he'd always been. Only one person, who's kind words over the years still echoed in his thoughts, had brought him this far. And that one person could bring him to doing this good thing fully.

As if on cue, the raven haired, bespectacled male everyone thought he'd despised all these years, appeared at the end of the bridge. It was no surprise Granger was there too, and her annoyingly wise red headed boyfriend. The three approached him slowly, notably a little surprised to see him there.

"Draco..." Harry's tone was soft, surprised even. He'd thought Draco would be long gone by now. "You stayed?"

A smirk pulled at the blonde's lips, one far less menacing than what the trio had grown to expect from him, as he stood to greet them. "Been around you too much, Potter," He said, his taunt having none of it's usual bite. "Your goody-two-shoes nature is starting to rub off one me..."

"You let your parents leave without you?" Hermione interjected, shocked, clearly.

"Mum wasn't too happy about it...but yes," The blonde replied, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket. It was getting very chilly up here, and he was growing more aware of that by the moment. "In what may be the stupidest decision of my life...I've decided to follow Harry's example...and do the right thing. I'm going to give myself up to the auror's when they arrive to collect the Deatheater's who aren't dead and haven't run away..."

Ron scoffed. "So...what? You're going to attempt to make a mourner-"

"Martyr, Ronald," Hermione murmured, which Draco couldn't help but smile at. The two made a good pair, he thought. He was a bit surprised Potter hadn't seen it coming though.

"Thank you," Ron sighed. "You're going to make a martyr of yourself? You think that's supposed to impress us or something? Do you want a bloody medal, Malfoy? Are you forgetting that you were just on the side of the people who killed more than half the students and staff within Hogwarts?!"

Draco didn't even flinch, though Ron was now shouting at him. He figured he deserved this and much worse. But he was surprised when Harry spoke up.

"Ron..."

"Not now, Harry." The redhead snapped, moving within inches of Draco. "And another thing you smarmy, stuck up little codpiece, you-"

"Ron, stop!" Harry moved between the two of them, scowling behind his glasses.  "Are YOU forgetting he hasn't had his wand this whole time? We've had it. That means that Draco had no magic, and other than his fists, he had no way to hurt anyone. As for his statement, I don't think he was trying to impress us..." After that spiel, he turned to Draco, studying him with a gentle expression. "You want us to help, don't you? To make sure you don't change your mind or chicken out at the last moment, right?"

Mutely, Draco nodded.

Ron stared for a moment, both startled by Harry jumping to Draco's defense, and by the great and powerful Draco Malfoy admitting he needed their help. That took a lot, even he had to admit.

"That doesn't seem so bad," Ron finally spoke. "It'd be nice to finally see you get what you deserve after what an-"

"Insufferable ass I've been?" Draco cut in, smiling some. "Thank you for the support, Ron..." 

He did mean that. He really was grateful that at least one of them was willing to help see to it that he did what was right.

"We'll all support you, Draco..." Hermione said suddenly, moving to squeeze his shoulder. "But are you sure you want to do this? Who knows how awful the punishment could be? You could be killed or worse. Are you sure you don't want to follow your parents? We can easily say we didn't see you, or-"

Draco only shook his head. "That's sweet of you, Hermione, especially after how dreadfully awful I've been to you...but I have to do this. It's the only way to clear my family's name, as I know there is no way my father would ever have the bollocks to turn himself in and clean up the mess he and I have made...even if it means death, I have to do something right, at least this once. You understand that, right?"

Hermione sort of half nodded, her expression surprisingly solemn.

"We'll walk you back," Harry offered, smiling a sort of sad smile. With that, all four of them started back up the bridge.

"Why were you all out here, anyways?" Draco asked after a moment. Harry stopped so suddenly it was almost comical, pulling the wand that Voldemort had searched months upon months for, the elder wand. It had chosen Harry as its wielder, to do with it as he saw fit.

"I almost forgot," Harry said, studying the long black piece in his hand for a moment.

"It's the most powerful wand in existence," Hermione remarked in amazement. "What'll you do with it, Harry?"

Wordlessy, Harry Potter snapped the most powerful wand in existance in two before tossing it off the bridge and down into the crashing rapids bellow. Ron and Hermione seemed a bit shocked, but Draco only nodded in understanding.

"The only safe thing to do with it," He said, watching Harry. "Make sure no one can ever use it again..."

Harry nodded, and with that out of the way, the three made their way up the stone bridge, headed for the center court yard in front of Hogwarts. There, they would wait for the aurors to arrive.

Stories down from the bridge, the two pieces of the elder wand tumbled and bounced through the rivers crashing waters. By some sort of unseen force, they had not yet drifted apart, though it was yet unclear where they would come to rest.