Fic: 'And All Over Again' Prologue
Title: And All Over Again Prologue
Author: fathomlessspite
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy and the rest of them
Warnings: (eventual) slash, DH SPOILERS, epilogue compliant :(
Rating: PG thus far
Word Count (thus far): 19,453
Prologue Word Count: 788
Summary: It's Lily Potter's first year at Hogwarts, it'll be the first year in thirteen since Ginny and Harry had the house to himself. But as Ginny has decided to take a course at a wizarding college in Egypt Harry accepts a teaching position at Hogwarts. With old friends and enemies surrounding him, questions about his slowly disintegrating marriage are hard to ignore.
Chapter Summary: For Harry, Lucius Malfoy had been the face on this thing long before he had really understood what it was.
A/N: I seem to have gone back in time and written a prologue, because of a reference someone makes to events herein in the next chapter... oh well :)
Harry’s hand twitched restlessly at his side, itching to pull his invisibility cloak over him once more. But the usher had told him in no uncertain terms that even he; the Boy Who Lived, the Saviour of the Wizarding world etc. etc., could not wear it inside the court.
It wouldn’t be so bad if he wasn’t there alone. His friends however, had abandoned him in this, perhaps rightfully so. Harry had no idea why he was here, why he had felt the need to attend Lucius Malfoy’s trial in person. His being found guilty was practically a forgone conclusion, and it would undoubtedly be first page news in the next morning’s edition of the Daily Prophet.
Of course the headline would probably now be along the lines of ‘Boy Saviour attends Death Eater Trial’, rather than ‘Death Eater Gets What He Bloody Well Deserves At Last’.
Neither Ron, Hermione, Ginny, nor anyone else had been able to understand why Harry had decided to attend. Especially considering he had not even needed to give evidence for this the third, of the Malfoy’s trials. There had been enough dirt on Lucius Malfoy without Harry’s testimony.
Even when it came to giving evidence for Draco and Narcissa Malfoy’s trials, Harry had done so in writing, thus avoiding the need to attend.
Harry glanced to his left where the two exonerated Malfoys were seated, waiting for the trial to begin. Harry didn’t for one second regret that Lucius would likely spend the rest of his life in Azkaban, but a glance at his family’s drawn faces found him feeling regretful for them that there wasn’t even an ounce of hope.
Draco caught Harry’s eyes briefly before looking away again, saying something quietly to his mother out the corner of his mouth. Narcissa sat up straighter and shifted slightly. Upon closer inspection and from the pinched look of Draco’s face Harry concluded she had just impaled his toes with her heel.
Harry bit back on a smile and looked away. He looked back a few moments later when he felt eyes on him. Narcissa was looking directly at him, when she had caught his eyes she nodded at him and the corner of her mouth quirked for a split second. Harry nodded back, but there was no time for further exchange as Lucius was led into the court and the trial began.
* * *
Harry felt a little lighter when he stepped out of the court room. In a way Lucius’ sentencing finally made him feel like the war was over. For Harry, Lucius Malfoy had been the face on this thing long before he had really understood what it was. At the age of twelve Lucius had just been a slightly scary adult who had been on the wrong side of this war he had heard so much about. A man who had been trying to hurt an eleven year old girl, for the sake of outdated beliefs which Harry had not really understood.
Obviously, as time had worn on, the intimidation factor of Lucius Malfoy had paled in comparison with that of Voldemort himself. But a world where Lucius Malfoy walked free was a world a little too similar to that of Harry’s younger years, where the war was building out of sight, in the shadows and the corners.
Harry pushed his hands in his pockets and headed for the stairs, rolling his eyes at himself. You would have thought Voldemort’s breathless corpse would have been enough to bring this to an end for him, but apparently not.
“Mr Potter,” a voice called from behind him. Narcissa Malfoy walked briskly to catch up with him, but didn’t run. Apparently Mrs Malfoy wouldn’t lower herself to running after someone, even Harry Potter.
“Mrs Malfoy,” he nodded and smiled cordially as she stopped in front of him. Draco stepped out from behind her and passed them without a second glance.
Harry watched him go until he disappeared at the turn of the stone steps and turned back to Mrs Malfoy with a raised eyebrow.
“I’m afraid my son is not as well mannered as I would like,” she said with a quirk of a perfectly shaped eyebrow. Harry looked down at his feet; he doubted Mrs Malfoy would much approve of his manners toward Draco either. There was a quiet pause as Harry didn’t answer. A few curious looking people passed them by. Once they were gone Mrs Malfoy continued.
“I wanted to thank you, for what you did for Draco and I,” she said.
“There’s no need to-” Harry began, shaking his head.
“Mr Potter, I am well aware of your opinion of my family, not all of it ungrounded I’m sure. Most would have left us to rot in that place,” she added. Her eyes flickered away from his for a moment and Harry reminded himself that this woman had just effectively lost her husband.
“I only told the truth Mrs Malfoy, no one should have to be thanked for that,” Harry said.
“Perhaps,” she acknowledged with a sharp nod. “Nonetheless you have my gratitude and my husband’s as well I’m sure.”
“But I didn’t-”
“That place will be more bearable for him knowing his only son is not in it with him,” she told him sharply.
“Oh,” Harry murmured, unsure of how to respond. There was another pause before Harry spoke again, eyes darting toward the stairs and back again. “Well, I should…”
Mrs Malfoy nodded and gave him a curt smile. He’d only walked a few steps before she called his name again.
“Yes, Mrs Malfoy?” he asked.
“I’m sure you will have Draco’s gratitude one day as well.”
--PART 1--