Redemption.

Do something good

Draco's POV.

There was a distinct tap on the windows, and something moved under the covers. Draco rose up, his blonde platinum hair was messy and his cold grey eyes looked tired. He yawned and stretched, and swung his legs on the side of his huge bed, walking up to the window.
An owl was sitting on the windowsill, holding a familiar letter in its beak. Draco's eyes went wide as he opened the window and grabbed the letter with trembling hands. He gave the bird a seed, and the owl flew away as Draco opened the letter.

Dear Mr Malfoy,
You are hereby invited to pursue your studies at Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry. Giving the recent events and the circumstances of your last year at Hogwarts, we are more than happy to welcome our 7th year former students back for you to finish your year at Hogwarts.
Here is the list of books and supplies you'd need for the school year.
Hopefully, we will see you on September, 1st. We are expecting an answer by August, 28th.
Greetings,
Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall.

Draco was in shock. After everything that happened, after everything he had to do, after everything that his father put him through, he never would have thought he'd be able to study at Hogwarts again. This was his redemption. This was his moment to undo everything that he did along the years. With his father in Azkaban for the rest of his life, Draco could finally live as free man. He could finally make choices out of his own will, without anyone to interfere. He could carry on living a normal life. He could finish school, get a good job and actually go somewhere good from all of this.
He walked out of his room, wearing nothing but a pair of jogger pants, and headed down to the Dining Room where he knew he'd find his mother.

"Mother," he said as he saw her sitting in a tall armchair by the fireplace, a book in hand.

"Yes?" Narcissa said.

"Look."

Draco handed his mother the letter. She dropped her book on her lap and read the paper, with a sparkling light in her eyes.

"You should go," she told him, "this is your chance."

Draco nodded. His mother was smiling, yet there were tears in her eyes. His heart clenched. He never thought he'd see her smile again. His father being locked up in Azkaban was actually something really good for the both of them. However, something troubled him.

"Will you be okay on your own?" he asked her, kneeling down before her.

"Of course, my dear."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she told him firmly, "you have to go. Do something good."

He nodded, with half a smile hanging from his lips. His mother called the House elf, and asked him to get Draco a piece of paper and a quill. The house elf disappeared, clicking his fingers, and apparated again, this time holding a quill and a paper. Draco grabbed them, and wrote his name down along with the answer. He was familiar with feeling regret and guilt, but he wasn't used to feeling good and happy about anything.
Draco walked to the room where his mother kept the family bird, and tied up the paper to its leg as he sent it out of the window to Hogwarts.
He walked back to the Dining Room where his mother was, his heart feeling light for the first time ever, and sat down at the table as the house elf brought them both breakfast on a tray.

"Bobbin," his mother told the house elf, handing him the list of supplies and books, "go to Diagon Alley and get whatever's on that list for me. There are gallions in a drawer in the Library."

"Yes, Madam."

Bobbin walked out of the room, for once, its head hanging low as he read the list.
Draco could feel it, deep down, that this was going to be a great year. His father wasn't here to ruin it for him. He needed something good to happen to forget about anything his father ever did to him and his mother. He hoped his best-friend Blaise Zabini would come back too. And he hoped Pansy Parkinson wouldn't.

SEPTEMBER, 1st.
Draco and his mother got to King's Cross train station about thirty minutes before the train had to leave. Draco carried his trunk around until he found a trolley and put it roughly on it, then pushed the trolley around the train station up to the platform 9 3/4. They took a look around before going through the passage, and suddenly found themselves onto the platform 9 3/4.
There were so many students. Most of them had come with their parents. Draco felt embarrassed coming with his mother by his side, for no other 19 year old had come accompanied. However, he couldn't bear leaving her behind, and she insisted on coming along with him.
He talked with his mother for a good fifteen minutes then said goodbye as the other students climbed on the train. He picked up his trunk and handed it to a member of staff on the train, waving goodbye to his mother as he sat down at his usual seat.
Blaise was nowhere in sight. However, Pansy Parkinson jumped on him and hugged him tight. She still had the same pug face, and Draco found her perfume smelled terrible as she sat down across the table. Draco wasn't even listening to her as she started rambling about her life, which Draco didn't want to know a single thing about.

The ride seemed to last for days, even though it was as long as usual. Draco had hoped Zabini would've shown up by the time the train stopped, but he never did. Parkinson got hold of his arm as the train came to a full stop and they had to get down.
He got in a carriage, and Parkinson was sticking to him, still. He hated it. The ride to the castle was bumpy, and he hoped no one he knew of saw him getting in a carriage alone with Parkinson. He knew rumours would spread like a plague.
The carriages got to the castle and Draco hopped out. He tried sneaking away from Parkinson and into the crowd of students, but his blonde platinum hair betrayed him.
They walked up to the castle and stepped in the Great Hall. Draco could still see, in his own mind, the day his aunt Bellatrix had shattered the windows and kicked out about everything in the grand room. He could still see, against his will, the room as the mess it was that very day. He shook his head and walked up to the Slytherin table, sitting down on the edge of the bench with Parkinson sitting in front of him. A man with a dark skin and a strong jaw came sitting beside him.

"Good, you're here," he said.

"Blaise," Draco greeted him, "I never thought I'd see you here again."

"Yet, here I am."

The pair laughed, and Draco felt relieved that he wouldn't have to face this year alone with Parkinson.
The Great Hall quickly filled in as more and more students got in. Draco noticed Harry Potter and his friends at the Gryffindor table. It looked like everyone from their year had come back to finish their studies, at least everyone alive.
Draco mentally slapped himself for thinking such a thing. He felt like it was his fault if people died.
Blaise nudged him in the ribs, getting him back to reality quite suddenly.

"What?" Draco blurted out.

"Your shagging partner is here," Blaise told him, whispering.

Draco was scanning the Great Hall, looking for a face he knew best, when he spotted her. Stiorra had just walked in the room. Draco's heart jumped in his chest. Redemption, he thought. This was the year he'd undo the harm he had done.