Taking Him In

trial of a lifetime

It had been a long trial. Lucius was on his way to Azkaban, and Narcissa was on in-house probation. Now they were waiting for Draco's veridict.

Earlier, they were given the opportunity to speak for themselves. They'd given their explanations, and strangely enough, Lucius had been honest. He'd told of how he forced Draco into taking the dark mark, of his own crimes, and that his wife had never been involved. Despite this, things still seemed rather dark for them.

Many people had testified against the Malfoy's, and none had expected anyone to stand up for any of them. That was correct for Lucius. Not for Narcissa and Draco.

Hermione, Harry, and with some convincing, Ron, went up and told of the things that Draco and Narcissa did to help them in the war. This included the Manor incident where Draco didn't tell it was Harry Potter, Narcissa telling Voldemort he was dead, and a few others.

Every one had listened intently as the golden trio gave statements for their old enemy. Ron had decided that the look Draco gave when they came forward was payment enough for this.

Then, others followed. It seemed if the golden trio were sticking up for Draco and Narcissa, then others who weren't planning on it originally, came forward too.

Things went from bleak, to dim. Which was an improvement. There seemed to be a possibility now for Narcissa, and Draco to not go to Azkaban. When it was announced that Narcissa had gotten in-house probation without magic, they smiled weakly. Now they awaited the answer that would determine Draco's future.

The waiting time was rather long. Longer than most waiting times. Each minute more gave Narcissa and Draco more nerves. Narcissa worried over what would happen to her son. Azkaban was a terrible fate. Judging from the time she'd been there, her son would not fit in very well. From what he'd heard, Draco didn't want to go to Azkaban, but he felt he deserved it.

While looking at the crowd, it was obvious some people wished for him to go to Azkaban. Others believed he was just a boy and didn't deserve such a harsh punishment. There were far fewer people with these opinions, and he really had to look to find them. Some just looked plain curious as to what would happen.

The judgemental looks Draco received nearly everywhere he looked nearly made him shudder in fear. You're a Malfoy, and Malfoys don't show their emotions. His father's voice rung out in his head. Fortunately that voice wasn't real. Lucius could no longer govern his life. If Draco was lucky, he wouldn't see his father for a long time. If he was unlucky, then he would see his father everyday, along with darkness, bad memories, and unhappiness.

"We have made our veridict!" A slim, tall man called out. "Draco Malfoy will be given a year on parole, without magic."

Draco's eyes widened, and his hands clenched. This was too good to be true. Surely there was some catch?

"Under the circumstances listed: That he lives with someone else in the wizarding world who has no criminal record. That he gets a job within a month to help pay for rent. That people from the ministry check on him once a month. That he takes at least a month of therapy. That he goes without magic for the full year."

There it was. Of course it would be too good to be true.

"This is because we believe Draco has been under a bad influence for far too long. We wish for him to see how others act, and how to live without his father's expectations. This way he can become who he wants to be, without any of his father's expectations."

The man paused. Then sighed. That wasn't a good sign. "We ask the people here today if anybody would like to take him into their homes for a year."

Silence.

After looking around for any volunteers, and not finding any, the man continued, "if we are unable to find any, then Draco will go to Azkaban until we are able to find a suitable location." With another sigh, the man called, "any volunteers?"

Looking up at his mother, Draco gave another weak smile. She attempted one back, but the tears in her eyes made it look more like a grimance.

After a minute of silence, the man spoke again, "then its settled. Draco Malfoy will go to Azkaban until someone steps forward."

Elegantly, Draco stood and walked to the Dementors. If he was doing this, he was doing this with grace and dignity. An Auror came forward and roughly grabbed his shoulder. They began to drag him away.

"Wait!" A familiar voice called. "I'll take him in!"

The Auror stopped and looked back.

The minister spoke, "are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Very well. Mr. Barnes will escort you to do the paperwork."

The Auror holding Draco snorted. "It's your lucky day pretty boy. Azkaban would've torn you to shreds."

.......

Draco waited anxiously. He hadn't actually seen who had taken him in. For all he knew, it could have been the Weasleys. Although he very much doubted that.

He could hear people talking. Unfortunately, he was far enough away for them to be murmurs and mumbles. All he could do was wait in anticipation.

The room was painted a disgusting beige, and he was seated on one of the few chairs stationed near the wall. There was also a table with nothing on it in the center. The table had a chair on both sides as if it were a room they usually used for interrogations. He knew he wouldn't be here long, but it sure felt like a long time. Being in here so long was the main reason Draco noticed everything.

There was a few clicks of metal, and the door opened. There stood... The slim man who was making the announcements earlier.

"Hello Mister Malfoy, I'm quite glad you got... um... adopted?" The last part was stated as more of a question than anything.

"Adopted?" Draco asked with an unimpressed look.

"Urm, yes? Anyway, I'm Morgan Martin. I'll be the one checking up on you every month. I must say I'm quite glad that you don't have to go there. I patrolled there once. Never again! Alright, come this way. I must warn you, the public will go crazy about this. The person who... adopted you is quite well known. You'll have to find a job and hide from the press. I wish you good luck Mister Malfoy and-" Morgan blabbed on for a while. At some point Draco tuned out while still following him.

Who could have... adopted me, as Martin so eloquently put it. I'm a death eater. I've been terrible for years. I doubt someone would have taken enough pity on me to take me in. Most of the people in that room hated me.

"And just beyond this door Mister Malfoy, is the one adopting you."

Great, I feel like a pet. Maybe my owner should give me a bloody collar.

"Go on in mister Malfoy. I'll see you in about a month." Mister Martin waved, and walked off with his long strides.

Taking a deep breath, he gathered some courage and opened the door.

That was when he saw who it was. Although, Draco had thought that he'd just managed to weasel his way in with his fame, but no. This person was taking him in.

Who you may ask?

Harry Potter.

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