New Perspective (post war draco malfoy)
Summary: Draco attends a small private study for his 8th year and meets someone to ease his mind.
Draco was a creature of habit. Change made him feel so uneasy and out of control. The hardest part of being nice, for Draco, was breaking the habit of being mean. After the war he felt empty, terrified and most of all, filled with regret. He lay awake most nights thinking of ways he could have saved himself and his family, to do good. But every night his mind came up blank, but guilt still plagued his brain.
Hogwarts was in ruins, not all the magic in the world could make it go back to normal in a few short months. Small private studies opened their doors to Hogwarts students not yet ready to return. Magical primary schools adapted to provide for older children. Although the Golden trio returned to Hogwarts, Draco couldn’t bring himself to do so. So he selected a small magical school to finish his last year of schooling in. He figured it’s what his mother would have to preferred him to do. Both his parents were sent to askaban as war criminals. He felt as if he were an orphan now, although he never felt he had a father growing up anyways. Draco was put on a probation of sorts, escaping jail time under circumstances. His wand had to be checked biweekly and he was lightly monitored. He was of age but he had the trace of an underage wizard, making him unable to apparate.
It was the morning of ‘orientation’ for former hogwarts student at Draco’s new school. He was fully aware that he would be walking into this institute alone. No friends acting as shields, no father to threaten his peers with. He looked into the bathroom mirror and squirmed underneath his own gaze. He hated wearing suits, but his father made him wear one all the damn time. He shrugged off the suit jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his button down shirt. A compromise between his heart and mind. He walked out the front door and climbed into the backseat of the rented car.
After the orientation draco sat still in his seat as everyone else began to collect their things and leave. The orientation focused heavily about former Hogwarts students making a plan, deciding who they wanted to be. Draco didn’t know what he wanted to be, but he wanted to be good. He didn’t want to work in law enforcement, his family name had rotted and he couldn’t be around that sort anymore. He didn’t know what he wanted to do but he wanted to good, as some sort of constellation to the bad he had done over the years. He eventually rose and walked out the front doors before stopping. How was he going to get home? He was unable to apparate and he hadn’t thought to rent another car. He tried to think as he just looked out at the grounds. “Hey, Draco, you look...lost.” Draco winced slightly and looked to his left to see a girl. He recognized her as Donna Dowling,a slytherin at hogwarts in the year below him. A girl her friends had grown close to but he never was too personal with. “I, uh, I’m just trying to figure out how i’m going to get home thank you.” He deadpanned.
The girls features seemed to crease in worry. “I can give you a ride, I drive a muggle car. It won’t be much of a hassle.” Before Draco could object she had already started walking to a navy SUV. “It’s quite alright, I-“ He was cut off by the girl putting up her hand in protest and just opened the passenger side door in response. He slid into the seat, softly thanking her. He noticed an emerald key chain dangling from her key ring spelling out Donna. He remembered their mutual friends, their occasional small talk and her somewhat close friendship to Zambini.
Once she had began to back out of the parking space Draco started to snap at her but caught himself. “I really don’t need your help Dowling” The boy heard the harshness of his tone and heard the boy he was trying to leave in the past. He made a mental note to stop calling her by her last name. “I mean it is a relatively long drive you can just, uh, take me to a bus stop, or something.” The girl shook her head. “A bus isn’t going to get you to your house, and I really don’t mind.” She flipped on the radio and a R&B song softly started playing. “So, what are you thinking about doing after you graduate?” Donna quipped. There was several moments silence before Draco replied “I don’t have a clue, what profession are you interested in?” The girl smiled widely, “A healer. I’m fascinated by medicine and I want to help people. Do some good in this not so good world” Draco was taken aback, ‘doing some good huh’ he thought. He just nodded his head in response. After 5 or so more minutes Donna quietly started “Blaise told me about your parents, I’m really sorry. My parents knew them well.” He was again taken aback. She was being much more forward than he was used to. “It’s alright, really.” No longer feeling the need to put up a wall, or even take into account the fact he barely knew her he said “Father was an ass anyways” His shoulders loosened and his posture softened. “I was a bigot for years just to impress my father, a war criminal just for ‘daddies approval’ bullshit” He turned away from the girl and re-tensed his shoulders in shame. Draco was not one for outbursts of sharing feelings, especially to people they dont know well. Donna didn’t gasp in shock or scoff at him. She laughed. He turned to look at her once more, really looking at her this time. Her left leg was propped onto her seat and she couldn’t look less bothered in her sunglasses. There was something about her that just seemed at ease. As if the only thing to care about was how much longer the sun was in the sky. Her hair was slightly wavy, blonde, but not like his. It was a dark shade of honey. There was a light in her eyes. A light that was plentiful in nearly everyone 2 or so years ago, but had recently become scarce. “Draco it’s alright i really don’t mind, I don’t mind. Parents can be assholes, especially if they were literal criminals.” She lightly laughs at the end of her sentence. Her demeanor hardened and her tone became more serious. “It’s not you fault, you know. I know you had no other choice, you were just trying to protect your family.”
Draco’s throat tightened. No one had said that to him. He had never had the reassuring words that he so desperately needed. “Thank you.” He said just above a whisper, his voice threatening to break at the end. “You can be a good person, you can do good, Draco.” She added softly. More minutes of silence passed before Draco worked up the courage to ask. “Donna?” She mumbled an ‘mhm?’ “What happened to your parents? I know they fled after the first war. I don’t mean to intrude, and you don’t have to say anything I was just curious-“ Donna didn’t recognize this shy, sickly looking, emotionally unstable boy, stumbling over his words. The cocky, over the top boy was no where to be seen. The greusome sights of war had scared him away, leaving only this fragile blonde behind.
“They went into hiding underground when I was a year or so old. Don’t remenber them at all though. They left me with my aunt and uncle.” Draco instantly felt guilty that he asked. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.” Donna wasn’t phased by the question though. “No ! It’s quiet alright, my aunt and uncle cared for me as their own child. It had always been home, never knew anything different.” Draco felt at ease knowing that he hadn’t upset her. He finally felt a small bit of peace in her presence that he hadn’t found anywhere else.
The rest of the car ride was mainly comfortable silence, with occasional small talk. He thanked the girl as she dropped him off at the Malfoy Manor. He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding when he closed his bedroom door. Someone finally believed he could be good.