The 10 Year Reunion

The Snake That Cannot Shed Its Skin Perishes

Today is the 10 year reunion at Hogwarts.

Having such an event on this exact day was peculiar to Draco Malfoy. After all, 10 years ago marks the end of the Battle of Hogwarts. Concurrently, it was the anniversary of the overthrowing of The Dark Lord, by none other than his arch nemesis as a teenager; Harry Potter.

At the current age of 28, Draco had learned to give credit where credit is due. He and his family were severely intertwined with Voldemort at the peak of his time, and Draco uniformly engaged in being a Death Eater at the ripe age of 16. But even the Malfoy family knew when it was time to draw a line in the sand. Wizards and witches were dropping like flies at the expense of their sole allegiance to The Dark Lord. There was only so much loyalty willing to be extended before becoming clear targets themselves.

After surviving the second wizarding war, Draco grew into his own once the initial aftershocks subsided. It was a bittersweet time in his life. He was free to roam the Earth without constantly watching his back, and was no longer controlled by the darkest wizard that had ever walked the planet. But this didn't mean he would be out of the woods for good. The repercussions, both mentally and physically, of his families extensive bloodline; prejudiced, pure-blood Slytherins, would be with him for the rest of his life.

While remaining prideful and true to himself, Draco decided to take an alternate approach on life. Although his mother and father saw the importance of family directly following the Battle, they quickly turned into their old mischievous ways; capitalizing on blood purity and wealth. With an ultimate desire to distance himself from what remained of his family legacy, Lucius disowned his son in the process. Narcissa would reach out to him time and time again, but predominantly stood by her husband's isolation.

The abandonment of his parents lead to full possession and ownership of Malfoy Manor. Draco maintained a wealthy upper-class lifestyle without the help of his selfish father. He kept to himself and pursued a lengthy self-evaluation for years following the Battle of Hogwarts. It was impossible to turn an entire perspective on life, the only life he's ever known, upside down within 10 years. Plus, in some cases, he chose not to alternate certain ideals in the first place. He was a prideful man, after all.

Draco had ultimately been put through an immensely traumatizing experience that no teenager should ever have to endure. He believed that he single handedly suffered the most torturous experience from anyone else at the wizarding school. His enemy by default, Harry Potter, was notably a close second; but at least Potter had come on top as a hero. Malfoy couldn't say the same for himself.

Harry Potter was the 'The Boy Who Lived'.

Draco Malfoy, on the other hand, was 'The Boy Who Had No Choice'.

Receiving the invitation to the 10 year reunion came as a bit of a shock. He didn't desire the possibility of mending all destroyed relationships of his past. Namely, 'The Boy Who Lived'. In his mind, he wasn't indebted to Harry as they saved each other's lives more than once. They were simply at par. He was well aware that there was no way in hell the two could ever be friends. He still didn't like the guy, and probably never would. But did he have respect for Potter?

Sure.

The motivation behind attending the reunion was the opportunity to be given peace of mind. Walking into the event today, he hoped to tie some loose ends regarding the self-loathing thoughts that had plagued his mind for years. He yearned for closure from the school that was willing to give so much, yet he ultimately defiled.

Draco was resentful of the bossy, arrogant young man he had come to be during his teenage years at Hogwarts. There were innocent souls he bullied relentlessly to tears. There were those who he profiled as useless and even wished death upon, simply due to the impurity of their blood.

But there was one witch in particular who he felt the obligation to face; a girl that he bullied as early on as adolescence. His bratty behavior was extremely heightened around her and many vicious comments were made. She always held much fascination to him despite the many attempts to wipe her from his mind completely. He successfully suppressed the truth by neglecting inner feelings while attending Hogwarts.

But after the Battle of Hogwarts and years of isolation, the truth had finally come spilling out.

--

Arriving at the reunion alone, none to his desire, Draco keeps a calm composure. 'Fake it 'til you make it' was an expression for a reason, and exhibiting a confident entrance would require such.

For all he knew, the second he locked eyes with the new headmaster, Minerva McGonagall, she would have him banished from the campus forever. However, she most likely took initiative of filtering through the invitations to the event. It seemed nearly impossible that a former Death Eater's invitation would somehow slip through the cracks to the headmaster.

Clearly, she felt he was worthy to attend.

Standing in the reconstructed castle is haunting and refreshing at the same time. It represented so much that he and his fellow students were put through. They had all been damaged, yet over time learned how to build their way back up.

10 years ago to the very second, Draco and his parents huddled amongst the crowd in the main hall he currently stands in. It was the end of the Battle, and the ashamed Malfoys didn't know how to act. However, one thing was certain. By doing a last minute change of allegiance, Draco regained acceptance from the forgiving school and avoided serious time in Azkaban.

He was prepared to walk into this event with zero expectations. For all he knew, not a single person would bat an eyelash at him. Or, he may get jumped by a group of vindictive alumni who he screwed over.

Whatever was coming, however, was what he deserved.

"Is that- is that really you?" A soft, familiar voice chimes in from behind.

Gripping his beer bottle so severe that it could shatter between his fingers, Draco slowly turns on his feet. His heart flutters as he meets eyes with Hermione Granger. She appears hesitant, yet forthcoming. Her expression is impossible to read, yet telling.

He nervously clears his throat and stiffens his posture. "Hello, Granger."