The Winds of Change

[draco lucius malfoy]

Draco Malfoy sat at his study in Malfoy Manor. Two years since the war, and it seemed the winds of change had finally started to come from the only Malfoy heir. Draco was two years more mature yet still scarred from the war. The scars that laid him to waste were not necessarily physical. In fact, his scars were more so internal then anything else. Draco Malfoy had always been the lone wolf of Slytherin. He alone had been one of the few Slytherins with a change of heart after the war. Dumbledore had always told him he was a boy who had made all the wrong choices, but as a man redemption would not allude him. Draco had never realized until after the Life and Lies of Dumbledore was published, that Dumbledore had been speaking about himself as much as Draco. Draco’s change was not one of his own choosing however. He wanted to do something grandiose, his intentions sincere, even if the heart of the matter lay not in his own heart but the heart of Astoria Greengrass. He found the young female to be different in her views, and as such he wanted to do something, anything to prove to her that he was trying. Draco would always be a Malfoy, but he did not always have to be such a bigot. Slytherin if anything had gotten an even worse reputation as the war came to a close. As a fellow Slytherin, even if alumni, Draco was of course still fond of his old house much like Minerva McGonagall herself of Gryffindor. This was probably why he had even harbored the inkling of writing the current Headmistress, he had helped fund the Hogwarts Rehabilitation Project, under a phony yet ambiguous name. Now currently as School Governor, he saw fit to rectify some of the local predicaments harboring the school, namely the eminiety of Slytherin and Gryffindor.

To The Headmistress of Hogwarts:
Minerva McGonagall
The Headmistress Office
Hogwarts, Scotland

Dear Professor McGonagall,
I will not claim to be one of your favorite people nor will I deny it was I under the alias of Caput Draconis, who donated the large sum to the Hogwarts rehabilitation project. As I am sure you are currently aware, I was recently assigned a position to School Governor due to petitioning and birthright. I have currently been put aware of an ongoing predicament at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Slytherin and Gryffindor house have been enemies for many years, but as of late according to the aftermath of the War, I am sure, the hostility between the two hours has become paramount.

I am sure I am the last person you would expect such a propostiion from, but a long time ago a man looked me in the eyes and assured me that despite making all the wrong choices as a boy, one day as a man, I could still the furthering of such animosity by simply making a choice. The man in question once told me it is not who we are born but who we grow to be that matters. The actions I took in my teenager years, resulting in the death of said man, are something I will never quite come to terms with. The guilt still haunts me as it should. It is no more then I deserve. I will not deny that. I know you of all people were hurt mostly by my actions. I would like to other an apology if it were something I could do, however I could never bring myself to say the words, I was not raised nor trained that way. However I am a man of action, and actions no matter how clichéd do speak louder then words.

My actions so far have been rather predisposition on my behalf. I would like to rectify this, and as a former Slytherin myself, would like to help in your attempts of inter-house unity. This may seem like a cheap cop out or unsavory, but I assure my intentions are not for my own benefit or my own piece of mind. I suppose I could say I’ve had a change of heart, not without help from a slytherin who’s ideals are somewhat strange.
If I could be of service in any way, please do let me know.

Sincerely,
Draco Lucius Malfoy
Lord of Malfoy manor
School Governor
And Member of the wizengamot

With the letter now completed, Draco attached it to the leg of his handsome owl Perseus, and sent it on its way. He had his own intentions for this of course, namely to impress a certain Slytherin though he was not sure his attempts would work. The strict Professor he had known at Hogwarts was a stubborn woman, and perhaps may never forgive him for his handiwork in the death of Albus Dumbledore. But alas, these were the only attempts at amends he could bring himself to bear, he was afterall a Malfoy, which was precisely why his letter sounded so regal, and so charismatic. Draco certainly did have a way with words.

Word Count: 851
Tags: Minerva McGonagall obviously, closed
Notes: Hoping it's good, do let me know, won't you?

[minerva rose mcgonagall]

Minerva was not quite sure how she felt about the letter on her desk. No, that was a lie. She knew exactly how she felt. She wanted to throw the missive in the fire and be done with the whole matter. What she had had to put up with from Draco Malfoy for six years in class was quite enough reason to never want to hear from him again, without even getting into his actions during the war. He had oozed with selfishness, arrogance, and disrespect. He had bullied other students, made excuses for his shortcomings, and gave the impression with every word and gesture that Minerva was only there as long as Draco did not ask his father to remove her.


And during the war – well, Minerva did know all the facts. Malfoy had not been able to kill Dumbledore, had not been able to kill anyone at all. But that did not excuse the fact that he had willfully conspired to bring about that murder, endangering many other students along the way, most especially Katie Bell and Ron Weasley. Lucius Malfoy would certainly have been unforgiving of any sentiments on the part of his son other than those he espoused, but that was no excuse either – after all, Sirius Black’s parents had been equally dangerous and unforgiving, and he had found the compassion to stop believing in a doctrine of hatred and the courage to do what was necessary to leave the practice of that doctrine behind.


Minerva sighed. She wanted to burn the letter. But she looked at Dumbledore’s portrait, pretending to be asleep in the corner, and knew that she could not. She did not have to follow in his footsteps in every way – she could not. But his legacy of second chances was one she wanted to continue. Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and Severus Snape had all received second chances and repaid Dumbledore – and the rest of Wizarding society – many times over. Minerva was going to have to accept Malfoy’s offer.


Minerva looked at the letter again. Her eyebrows shot up at his comments about the state of house relations. That was an exaggeration. Well, he always had been prone to dramatics. And Minerva knew the relative calm that had prevailed since the end of the war had a lot more to do with students being shocked, uncertain about their post-war status in the world and school, and just generally fed up with fighting then any actual change. Minerva personally believed that the problems that would occur in the future would be quite different than the ones Malfoy had had experience with. She thought that it was the Slytherins who would need to be protected in the years to come – from those seeking revenge, and also from those who would refuse to see the whole house as anything but evil. She supposed having a meeting with Malfoy about it wouldn’t hurt. Minerva wrote a quick acceptance to his letter, inviting him to meet with her in her office in a week’s time.


word count: 514
tags: Draco

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