redemption of the half-blood prince, chapter one
It is perhaps clear that I don't know what I'm doing when posting, and I don't have a beta. Certainly I own none of Ms. Rowling's wonderful characters, and I play with their stories only in tribute, with nary a whiff of a profit to be seen. Nevertheless, I hope you may enjoy this bit of fanfiction as well as I do.
Salvia
p.s. Better see the prologue first.
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Redemption of the Half-Blood Prince, chapter one
No excuse now, Malfoy. Hogwarts awaits.
HP
Draco sat at the lake shore as the sun set, staring blankly over the water. He had been sitting there by the tombs when Harry went out to the Quidditch pitch to fly over an hour ago, and he was still there. Actually, now that Harry thought about it, he thought Malfoy might have been there at dinner. Certainly he had not been in the Great Hall. After a moment, Harry shouldered his broom again and walked over to join Malfoy in his lakeside vigil.
Malfoy's shoulders tensed, but after a minute of sitting silently together he seemed to relax.
"Potter," he muttered, almost under his breath.
"Malfoy," Harry returned in minimal greeting, keeping his eyes on the sunset. Draco Malfoy had returned to Hogwarts as skittish as a hippogrif and twice as likely to bite. He held himself apart from everyone.
Harry had two self-imposed rules for his interactions with Malfoy. He allowed Draco to take the lead, waiting for him to speak first; and Harry himself was scrupulously even-toned in his responses. This restraint did not come easily to Harry; he usually tried to avoid Malfoy when he could. Harry had dropped a word to Kingsley regarding Malfoy, who had been offered this opportunity to serve out his sentence in community service, restoring Hogwarts to its pre-battle condition. If Harry could feel compassion for Tom Riddle, who had killed his parents, and defend Severus Snape, who had tortured him for six years, he could learn to tolerate Draco Malfoy, who was merely a spoiled git. He thought his temper would probably return at some point, but the peace and clarity he had felt during the short time he had been dead had remained with him. Harry couldn't be bothered to be angry with anyone. That did not mean, however, that Harry was exactly happy.
There had been moments of joy--with Teddy, and with Ginny, mostly--but they were overshadowed by the losses of the terrible Battle of Hogwarts. He had grown to love Teddy more quickly than he would have thought possible, but he was always aware when he was with him that Teddy would never know his parents, and that Harry himself missed both Remus' steady support and Tonks' exuberance.
Likewise, his time with Ginny and the rest of the Weasleys was subsumed in the shadow of Fred's loss. Ginny was quieter than usual. Harry supposed he was, as well. All the Weasleys seemed a little paler, a little drawn. Harry knew he was welcome. He did. But as the "Diagon Incident" proved, when his presence in Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes nearly caused a riot on Diagon Alley--and in fact, five witches and two wizards had ended up in St. Mungo's--sometimes his presence just meant trouble. Harry had quietly come back in the evening after Wheezes had closed, apologized to George, and left for Hogwarts the next morning. At least there the wards kept out those with no reason to be there.
Harry's pondering was interrupted by the sounds of Malfoy standing. "As lovely as it has been to share this time with you, Potter--" Malfoy drawled.
Harry broke his first rule. "What're you out here sulking about, then?"
Malfoy's eyebrows rose. His voice frosted over. "Sulking, am I?" It wasn't quite the old Malfoy, but close. Then Malfoy sighed, squared his shoulders, and faced Harry. When he spoke, his voice was formal. "Will you allow me to absolve my debt, Potter?"
Harry started in surprise. "But you have--you are!" he exclaimed. "That's why you're here, isn't it? To help with the rebuilding?"
Malfoy rolled his eyes. "I'm here because otherwise I'm confined to my house.' He slowly sat down again. The sun had set now, but the light had not yet faded from the western sky. Harry and Malfoy sat quietly for a moment in the gathering dusk before Malfoy spoke again. "Anyway, I also owe Hogwarts a debt." He paused. "Sixth year...I didn't know they'd bring a werewolf, but last year I finally realized..." Malfoy laughed bitterly. "I should have known, shouldn't I? What I thought...everything I thought I knew was wrong." Harry looked curiously at Malfoy. In the deepening shadows, he couldn't see much, but Malfoy's eyes gleamed in the last reflected light off the lake. Harry had never seen the expression on Malfoy's face before. He didn't know what it meant. "Regardless, the debt I may begin to pay here is one I owe to Hogwarts herself. I'd just as soon ensure that when I leave, I shan't still owe you."
Harry turned away from the lake, and Malfoy, to look into the forest. "I owe people too, you know, Malfoy. I'll never be able to pay some of them back." Harry blinked his eyes furiously. He was not finally going to break down in front of Malfoy, of all people. He waved in the direction of the two tombs. "Not all of them were my friends, either. Snape..." Harry's voice trailed off. I owe Snape more than a tomb next to Dumbledore's and a posthumous Order of Merlin, he thought bitterly.
Harry turned back towards the tombs in silent apology. "I owe Ron my life, too, and he told me to forget it. That's what I'm telling you. Just forget it."
Now Harry recognized the expression on Malfoy's face. "Forget it! Slow me down if I go too fast for you to comprehend, Potter." Malfoy practically spat out the words. "Weasley. Is. Your. Friend! The ties between you are probably far more complex than I could know, but I know you like him for some reason. You shared a dorm for six years. You did Merlin knows what together this past year, escaped Aunt Bellatrix and the Snatchers at the Manor that I know of--broke into Gringotts and tamed dragons, apparently. He probably owes you, too--perhaps not his life, but something, with all the trouble you found. If you do not repay the debt you owe him at some point in the future--which you probably will, saving lives like Chocolate Frog cards--the web of love and loyalty between you will stop fate's hand."
Harry spoke heatedly. "We don't love each other like that, Malfoy; he's my friend, my brother--"
Now Malfoy seemed really mad. "Exactly!" he shouted. "Exactly," he repeated. "And I am at best a Quidditch rival. At worst I am an enemy, one who supported the Dark Lord against you." Malfoy looked tiredly at the ground. "Never your friend."
Harry looked away. His thoughts roiled. He remembered Peter Pettigrew, choking to death, attempting to pry away the silver hand Voldemort had made him. He remembered Narcissa Malfoy's thin fingers clutching at his clothes as Voldemort's voice rose in the background. "I owe your mother a life debt." he said.
Malfoy looked up, startled. " I wondered what she could possibly have on you. That's what kept us out of Azkaban, is it?"
Harry shrugged. "So...I mean..."
Malfoy almost smiled. "Oh, we're not even, Potter; but it's a start."
Harry could hardly see anything anymore beyond the white marble of the tombs. "We don't have to make a --a web of love and loyalty--"
Malfoy did smile then.
Salvia
p.s. Better see the prologue first.
**********************************
Redemption of the Half-Blood Prince, chapter one
No excuse now, Malfoy. Hogwarts awaits.
HP
Draco sat at the lake shore as the sun set, staring blankly over the water. He had been sitting there by the tombs when Harry went out to the Quidditch pitch to fly over an hour ago, and he was still there. Actually, now that Harry thought about it, he thought Malfoy might have been there at dinner. Certainly he had not been in the Great Hall. After a moment, Harry shouldered his broom again and walked over to join Malfoy in his lakeside vigil.
Malfoy's shoulders tensed, but after a minute of sitting silently together he seemed to relax.
"Potter," he muttered, almost under his breath.
"Malfoy," Harry returned in minimal greeting, keeping his eyes on the sunset. Draco Malfoy had returned to Hogwarts as skittish as a hippogrif and twice as likely to bite. He held himself apart from everyone.
Harry had two self-imposed rules for his interactions with Malfoy. He allowed Draco to take the lead, waiting for him to speak first; and Harry himself was scrupulously even-toned in his responses. This restraint did not come easily to Harry; he usually tried to avoid Malfoy when he could. Harry had dropped a word to Kingsley regarding Malfoy, who had been offered this opportunity to serve out his sentence in community service, restoring Hogwarts to its pre-battle condition. If Harry could feel compassion for Tom Riddle, who had killed his parents, and defend Severus Snape, who had tortured him for six years, he could learn to tolerate Draco Malfoy, who was merely a spoiled git. He thought his temper would probably return at some point, but the peace and clarity he had felt during the short time he had been dead had remained with him. Harry couldn't be bothered to be angry with anyone. That did not mean, however, that Harry was exactly happy.
There had been moments of joy--with Teddy, and with Ginny, mostly--but they were overshadowed by the losses of the terrible Battle of Hogwarts. He had grown to love Teddy more quickly than he would have thought possible, but he was always aware when he was with him that Teddy would never know his parents, and that Harry himself missed both Remus' steady support and Tonks' exuberance.
Likewise, his time with Ginny and the rest of the Weasleys was subsumed in the shadow of Fred's loss. Ginny was quieter than usual. Harry supposed he was, as well. All the Weasleys seemed a little paler, a little drawn. Harry knew he was welcome. He did. But as the "Diagon Incident" proved, when his presence in Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes nearly caused a riot on Diagon Alley--and in fact, five witches and two wizards had ended up in St. Mungo's--sometimes his presence just meant trouble. Harry had quietly come back in the evening after Wheezes had closed, apologized to George, and left for Hogwarts the next morning. At least there the wards kept out those with no reason to be there.
Harry's pondering was interrupted by the sounds of Malfoy standing. "As lovely as it has been to share this time with you, Potter--" Malfoy drawled.
Harry broke his first rule. "What're you out here sulking about, then?"
Malfoy's eyebrows rose. His voice frosted over. "Sulking, am I?" It wasn't quite the old Malfoy, but close. Then Malfoy sighed, squared his shoulders, and faced Harry. When he spoke, his voice was formal. "Will you allow me to absolve my debt, Potter?"
Harry started in surprise. "But you have--you are!" he exclaimed. "That's why you're here, isn't it? To help with the rebuilding?"
Malfoy rolled his eyes. "I'm here because otherwise I'm confined to my house.' He slowly sat down again. The sun had set now, but the light had not yet faded from the western sky. Harry and Malfoy sat quietly for a moment in the gathering dusk before Malfoy spoke again. "Anyway, I also owe Hogwarts a debt." He paused. "Sixth year...I didn't know they'd bring a werewolf, but last year I finally realized..." Malfoy laughed bitterly. "I should have known, shouldn't I? What I thought...everything I thought I knew was wrong." Harry looked curiously at Malfoy. In the deepening shadows, he couldn't see much, but Malfoy's eyes gleamed in the last reflected light off the lake. Harry had never seen the expression on Malfoy's face before. He didn't know what it meant. "Regardless, the debt I may begin to pay here is one I owe to Hogwarts herself. I'd just as soon ensure that when I leave, I shan't still owe you."
Harry turned away from the lake, and Malfoy, to look into the forest. "I owe people too, you know, Malfoy. I'll never be able to pay some of them back." Harry blinked his eyes furiously. He was not finally going to break down in front of Malfoy, of all people. He waved in the direction of the two tombs. "Not all of them were my friends, either. Snape..." Harry's voice trailed off. I owe Snape more than a tomb next to Dumbledore's and a posthumous Order of Merlin, he thought bitterly.
Harry turned back towards the tombs in silent apology. "I owe Ron my life, too, and he told me to forget it. That's what I'm telling you. Just forget it."
Now Harry recognized the expression on Malfoy's face. "Forget it! Slow me down if I go too fast for you to comprehend, Potter." Malfoy practically spat out the words. "Weasley. Is. Your. Friend! The ties between you are probably far more complex than I could know, but I know you like him for some reason. You shared a dorm for six years. You did Merlin knows what together this past year, escaped Aunt Bellatrix and the Snatchers at the Manor that I know of--broke into Gringotts and tamed dragons, apparently. He probably owes you, too--perhaps not his life, but something, with all the trouble you found. If you do not repay the debt you owe him at some point in the future--which you probably will, saving lives like Chocolate Frog cards--the web of love and loyalty between you will stop fate's hand."
Harry spoke heatedly. "We don't love each other like that, Malfoy; he's my friend, my brother--"
Now Malfoy seemed really mad. "Exactly!" he shouted. "Exactly," he repeated. "And I am at best a Quidditch rival. At worst I am an enemy, one who supported the Dark Lord against you." Malfoy looked tiredly at the ground. "Never your friend."
Harry looked away. His thoughts roiled. He remembered Peter Pettigrew, choking to death, attempting to pry away the silver hand Voldemort had made him. He remembered Narcissa Malfoy's thin fingers clutching at his clothes as Voldemort's voice rose in the background. "I owe your mother a life debt." he said.
Malfoy looked up, startled. " I wondered what she could possibly have on you. That's what kept us out of Azkaban, is it?"
Harry shrugged. "So...I mean..."
Malfoy almost smiled. "Oh, we're not even, Potter; but it's a start."
Harry could hardly see anything anymore beyond the white marble of the tombs. "We don't have to make a --a web of love and loyalty--"
Malfoy did smile then.