Revenge and Revelation

It would be eight years later before the war had ended, and a month after its end when he finally set foot out of Azkaban. The daylight shining on Loch Ness, Scotland was almost blinding to him considering he\'d been confined for so long.

It was also the first time that his head had been clear and fruitful in a very long time as well. The conscience that he\'d repressed since early childhood had been his daunting companion, drawn out of him by the dementors. He sat on a small seaside bench and rubbed his temples, waiting for his post-release owl message.

His memories flooded back to him in succession...his priviledged childhood in Malfoy Manor, shopping trips to Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. Riding a toy broomstick for the first time. Riding a real broomstick at age 10, prepping for his magical education. Arguing with his parents about the pros and cons of attending either Hogwarts or Durmstrang. Long lectures about the Dark life from his father. And his first day at Hogwarts.

The advent of his stay at Hogwarts was the first flicker on the horizon of the second war of the Dark and Light. It was then that Harry Potter, the second being that the Dark Lord had ever feared, was dragged out of his muggle existence and told who he really was. He\'d thwarted, both luckily and courageously, the first two attempts that Voldemort had made to restore himself to full power.

But eventually the Dark Lord found a way, and so it began. Slowly and silently at first, but at full swing by the time he\'d graduated.

He glanced at the eerily shiny black ink on his left forearm. He\'d followed his father\'s steps straight into the inner circle of the Dark, but his mark would never be active again. A series of attacks over four days, just over a month ago, reduced Voldemort to his mortal Tom Riddle alter-ego...erasing all the protections he\'d put on himself those many years ago. Harry Potter, as it had been prophecized, had humanized the inhuman and brought about his downfall. Riddle was captured a week later and executed by a vengeful Amos Diggory.

Once the Order of the Phoenix had served its purpose, its members were awarded the Order of Merlin, first class, and disbanded to live normal lives for the first time in many, many years. Dumbledore continued as headmaster of Hogwarts, Potter became the first permanent teacher of Defense Against the Dark Arts and all seemed disgustingly well for the goody-goodies of the Light.

Even the Weasleys had made enormous strides. The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office boomed crazily during the war, as the Dark had tried eradicating hundreds of muggles with very public, very destructive disguised items. A statue in Piccadilly Circus exploded, killing twenty people, including ten children on a day care trip. Chamber pots in public washrooms began to emit toxic gases and killed dozens of people before the cause was identified. Percy switched offices; Ronald and Ginny graduated and immediately joined their father as well. Upon realizing the vast importance and protection of the innocent provided by the Weasley\'s services, Fudge finally allocated a great deal more money to pay them foeir eir overtime and the hazards of their jobs. The Burrow is now twice its size...though all of the Weasley children lived independently in their own flats.

Wonderful for them, he thought bitterly. Finally not as insulting to their kind. Regardless of whether he accepted or rejected his path into the Death Eaters\' realm, the fate of the Malfoys was not to go so well.

For the first four years of the war, his father had lounged around in idle luxury, relishing in his status. While other Death Eaters fought the Order of the Phoenix, Lucius occasionally set booby traps for Muggles but nothing more. He preferred the glamour of an evil genius image. Draco was ambivalent about fighting and becoming more disillusioned by the day about the reasons why he\'d idolized his father so much. He\'d no idea how much worse it was going to get.

Once finally forced to fight for his so-called loyalties, Lucius had scraped by (out of sheer luck, no less) with a \"victory\" over Mundungus Fletcher and Nymphadora Tonks outside the Ministry. Fletcher was killed and Tonks was hospitalized in St. Mungo\'s. It had been nearly a year since any Death Eater had managed to even injure an Order member, so Lucius was revered with a hero\'s reputation among the society of Dark sympathizers.

Unbelievably enough, Lucius\'s pompous attitude grew exponentially from its already overengorged state. He bedecked Malfoy Manor in golden Dark relics and did ridiculous things usually associated with royalty, like eat grapes while young girls massaged his back. And eventually took bad boy groupie Pansy Parkinson as his mistress.

While she knew that her husband was behaving outlandishly, Narcissa Black Malfoy had never expected the disgusting evolution path that her husband was taking, and once she discovered his infidelity, a fight broke out that rivaled any oe bae battles fought between the Death Eaters and the Order. Draco could hear the screaming from any place in the huge house, had he been there. However, he\'d been avoiding his house for the better part of the day for months by then. When he finally arrived home, smashed from firewhiskey, the house held an eerie silence. And his mother lay dead in the foyer, holding a pair of Pansy\'s old Slytherin knickers in her hand.

Draco swallowed, his throat raw from the brisk autumn air. That was one of the memories that had haunted him--nay, plagued him in Azkaban. Though a pureblooded sympathizer for sure, Narcissa had been a gentle and peaceful woman and good mother...and was perhaps the only person that Draco had even come close to loving. Love seemed like a foreign concept to him now, nearing the first anniversary of her death.

Draco turned his father in to Azkaban, then lapsed into weeklong binges of alcohol and sloth. As he\'d never truly been active amongst the Death Eaters, he was not imprisoned with the traitorous man he previously idolized. Not then, anyway. Upon reading of Voldemort\'s mortalization after a massive ambush near the Dover cliffs, Draco scoffed and wished the Dark Lord good riddance. He had no loyalties anymore, no real reason for existence.

He\'d been pondering for most of a bleary, cold Tuesday whether the Avada curse would work suicidally when he was brought before the Ministry once more. Bellatrix Black Lestrange, caught at the scene in Dover and facing Azkaban once more, tried to place blame on her inactive (and therefore disloyal) Death Eater nephew for many of the innocent casualties of the war. She was desperate to stay out of the wizard prison, having lost her sister and now her husband...the personal hell would most likely kill her this time. Draco had had the panel convinced of his docility when Bellatrix lost herself in a tantrum of ranting and obscenities, including a comparison between Draco and his father. Draco\'s reflexes got the better of him and he hexed her, right there in the courtroom, earning the month he had just served.

Draco knew that Riddle had died during his imprisonment. The pain that he had felt in his left arm had been indescribable. However, that was, perhaps, the best night that he\'d spent in that hell...in a manner of speaking. The pain distracted him from the effects of the dementors and truth be told, he\'d rather suffer in physical pain than emotional torture. He also had the grim satisfaction of knowing that he was free upon his release; there would be no malevolent master to call upon him any longer.

A tawny owl fluttered over to him, interrupting his thoughts. It was carrying both a letter bearing the Ministry seal and a small package. Draco eyed the parcels warily, then proceeded to open the letter.

Dear Mr. Malfoy,

Welcome back to the free world. While I\'m certain you did not enjoy your stay, rest assured that there exists no malice for you any longer with the Ministry of Magic. In fact, they wish to offer you a position as an Auror. Probationary circumstances, of course, but both the Minister and I feel that your academic excellence, talents and inside knowledge more than qualify you for such a career.

As you may not feel comfortable accepting the offer immediately because the transition would be a difficult one, there are also several options available to you if you wish.

Meanwhile, your wand is enclosed and we ask that you Apparate to St. Mungo\'s for a checkup immediately. We are aware that your health, both physically and mentally, was suffering greatly before your stay in Azkaban, and it\'s certain that such a place would not be conducive to any improvement.

You are being given a nd cnd chance to make something of yourself...and knowing your abilities, the possibilities are endless. Despite what you may believe and the choices you have made in the past, I believe in you. I bid you good luck, and will be in contact with you again soon.

Great regards,
Albus Dumbledore
Headmaster, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

\"Bloody hell,\" he said aloud to no one in particular.