Returning for his 8th year at Hogwarts; Draco must face the challenges of trying to better the Malfoy name, gain the highest grades for his N.E.W.T.s and take charge of his life again. It's a lot harder when he now has the entirety of the Slytherin...
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After the events of the Battle of Hogwarts; a display of children versus 'straight up adults with commitment issues', a few things happened. Almost all seven and 'eight' year Slytherin's were put up for trial against the Wizengamot. Hogwarts castle was destroyed, not too badly, but enough for it to be rebuilt within the summer months and still not fully completed.
The trial of the Malfoy's was a grandeur affair that felt too comfortable to everyone but Draco. He was forced to keep his face neutral throughout the entire trial because of his family's lawyer. Something about trying to look like a vulnerable child of war, y'know? Instead of what he was, a Death Eater.
Draco's trial was fine, just in case anyone wanted to know. By that, he meant the entirety of the wizarding world. He couldn't believe it! The first time his face was plastered on the Daily Prophet and it was because of his trial and not something heroic. Oh well. Draco had enough of trying to accept that he would ever be welcomed into the blind, naïve and irrevocably, annoying wizarding society. They worshipped Potter like they hadn't turned against him only a couple years ago.
But Draco knew better. He had seen Potter through his puberty days.
He definitely knew better.
Which is why it didn't at all come as a shock to him to see Saint Potter rocking up to his trial, in order to return a favour or two. Potter talked about Draco in a way that both showed their rivalry in an unbiased way, but also their moments of humanity that shone within two boys that really didn't want to kill each other. Throw a hex in, possibly knock him to the ground and clock him in the jaw? Sure, why not? But to kill Harry Potter?
Draco wouldn't do that, the same way he didn't kill Dumbledore. Which is the main point that Harry tried to drive into the minds of the Jury and Wizengamot. It paid off well with Draco on a year-long probation period, whilst he continued his studies at Hogwarts. His mother was put on a one year house arrest sentence at Malfoy Manor, which sucked, but at least the Malfoy's still had their money.
They tried to let aurors and curse breakers look through the Manor for dark artefacts, but it seemed no one could break the ancient magic within the manor. Only a Malfoy was really allowed to touch whatever was inside the manor, much to the frustration of the aurors, they couldn't do anything. Even if Draco went into the darkest cellars and tampered around with the wards, they were unable to break in.
Lucius Malfoy's sentence was a little harder to accept. Draco had watched with bated breaths as his father was given a life sentence at Azkaban. He remembered the way his hand gripped the edges of the stand, eyes fixed on his father's defiant face. The way Lucius still held his head high and mighty like any Malfoy should. Draco could still feel the way his father's eyes penetrated into his own, as if silently giving the young Malfoy Heir his mantle.
Of course Lucius would be back, Draco tried to reassure himself. Because of the Trial of 'Sirius vs The Society,' a law was put in place for the 'life sentence' to equate 35 years instead of, well, the rest of someone's life. If Lucius stayed in Azkaban with good behaviour a retrial would be set up in ten years, then he would leave. Draco was sure of it. The Malfoy's had the best lawyers and barristers, the connections still held in place- if only slightly marred.
