Second Chance (2025 Christmas Story) - Chapter 18

[sesheta66]

Title: Second Chance – Chapter Eighteen
Author: sesheta_66 || AO3: sesheta_66
Prompts used: slythindor100’s early bird prompt T—Christmas Tree in Crystal Ball (picture under the cut) and dracoharry100’s prompt 26: Caroling
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Word Count: 2.5K (this part)
Rating: R (eventually; this part PG)
Warning: none
Summary: This is the second Christmas for Draco without Astoria and Harry's first since Ginny remarried. Will best friends Scorpius and Albus be just what they need to rekindle something they'd thought fleeting and lost forever?
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Notes: Written for the slythindor100 Early Bird 25 Days of Draco and Harry and the dracoharry100 Christmas Challenge.

On LJ: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18

OR on AO3





Second Chance – Chapter 18

Draco woke without his customary sense of anticipation about going to Hogwarts. He usually looked forward to the day there, but his thoughts had been full of Potter and the Christmas party that Scorpius was about to throw at him. Why the boys had come up with such an idea was beyond him. Scorpius must think he had no life whatsoever. Which, in fairness, wasn't far from the truth. But he did have friends. He didn't see them often, true, but still. He didn't need to make nice with a bunch of Gryffindors that hated him. Not exactly his idea of fun.

Potter had confirmed as much. Perhaps they didn't all hate him, but his best friend / brother-in-law certainly did. They'd been on the same page, he and Potter, however irritating Draco had found reliving the choice Potter had made back in first year. They both knew it would be uncomfortable at best. But then Potter had gone and told him he was welcome to attend, and a part of Draco – however small – had wanted to say yes, Weasley be damned.

So now he needed to get through a day of lecturing and fielding student questions, knowing that supper was going to be spent talking about Potter again. Why the hell was it always Potter?

He could do this. He genuinely enjoyed teaching. Not so much that he'd give up his career, but he did get joy out of passing on his knowledge, and seeing the thirst for it in students' eyes.

When McGonagall had first invited him to teach occasional classes at Hogwarts, he'd been hesitant. He hadn't returned since the battle, and wasn't sure how he'd feel going back. His memories of sixth and seventh years weighed heavily on him, and he didn't know if he could face what he'd done.

She'd known what he'd been thinking, and had been patient, yet firm. "I understand your hesitation, Mr Malfoy, but one must face one's demons before one can move forward. Why don't you come to my office, have a cup of tea, and we can discuss?"

He'd reluctantly agreed, not sure what to expect. He'd never been outright rude to her, whatever he'd said in the privacy of the Slytherin common room about the head of Gryffindor, but he hadn't shown her what he would consider the level of respect befitting a professor. And now she was offering him the chance to … what? Clear his conscience? Make amends? Move on with his life? He had no idea, but after all that had happened during the Dark Lord's reign, he thought he ought to stop hiding from his past, and face it head-on. So he'd agreed.

Much to his dismay, when he'd entered the headmistress' office, he'd come face to face with Dumbledore. His former headmaster's portrait hung directly behind McGonagall's desk, so there had been no way to avoid looking at it. He'd nearly bolted, right then and there.

But then Dumbledore had greeted him. "Good to see you, Mr Malfoy." Draco had thought that unlikely. "I understand that you have moved on from the … unfortunate circumstances of your last couple of years here at Hogwarts and have made quite a name for yourself. I'm glad to hear it."

Unfortunate circumstances? That was understating things a bit. "I–" Draco hadn't expected this, though he supposed he should have. "Hello, sir."

Dumbledore looked over his half-moon spectacles and smiled. "Professor McGonagall tells me that she has offered you the opportunity to teach here occasionally. I do hope you will consider it."

Thoughts had raced around in Draco's head. Images of the Room of Hidden Things and that damn cabinet, hearing about Katie Bell and the weasel stumbling across his pathetic attempts at getting to this man, trying to kill him. Then letting in Death Eaters, facing and disarming the Headmaster, him so weak and fragile that Draco could have killed him with barely any effort. This man, knowing full well what Draco had done, had caused to happen, offering him and his family safety, a way out. And Snape stepping up to do the job Draco had been tasked with. Watching his Headmaster plummet to his death.

He'd cleared his throat then. "Thank you, sir. And you, Professor McGonagall." He took a deep breath and said what he'd been up half the night composing in his mind. "I appreciate the opportunity, but before I could even consider it, I feel that I must apologise to you both."

"I received your letter after the war," McGonagall said. Draco had sent many letters after the war, after his trial. He'd been given another chance at life and he'd wanted to begin on the right foot. He and his mother both. They'd never told Lucius, but then why would they have? The first letter for both of them had been to Potter. Of course it had. But then he'd found he had to reach out to many others, including McGonagall. Never sure what to expect in response – he'd received a mix of responses, good and bad, and many more non-responses. McGonagall had accepted his apology and had wished him the best moving forward, now that he was free from the pressures that had led him down that dark road.

"Yes, and I received your reply. But I never spoke to you in person before today. Had our paths crossed before now, I like to think I would have apologised to you directly, but at the time I couldn't face returning here. To be honest, I hesitated even now." Both professors nodded but said nothing. He ploughed on. "I may have been a minor during most of the circumstances to which you refer, and I had been acting under duress, which I'm sure you know, but you offered me a way out, sir, even after knowing everything I'd done, and I didn’t take it. I should have."

"This is true, but I understand why you didn't," Dumbledore said. "Ideally, you would have come to me at the outset, but your father … well, let's just say that I imagine Lucius was rather a key factor in your decision making." Draco was struck again at the understanding afforded him by this man whom he'd disrespected from the day he'd arrived at the school. "And things happened rather quickly that day, so ..."

Once more, he saw Dumbledore topple over the edge of the tower. "I hope you know that I do regret so much of what happened, particularly my own actions, but also those of my family."

"Come now, Draco, you can't be expected to pay for your family's deeds."

"I know, but still. I don't expect forgiveness, but I do hope to work towards earning it nonetheless."

Dumbledore nodded. "I think that's all we can expect. As you say, you were a minor at the time, and under great pressure even after you had come of age. And we were assured by Mr Potter that you did help him in the end, you and your mother."

He didn't argue Potter's points at the time. Didn't speak up at the trials. He was facing life in prison, after all. But he couldn't pretend to these two. "I think Potter may have overstated our involvement."

"Perhaps," McGonagall said. "But he did what he felt was right and recognised that you had already suffered at the hands of Voldemort, so …" Once again, Draco had thought how Potter had changed the course of his life. In school, he'd been a thorn in Draco's side, but as an adult, his impact had been far more positive. And now here Draco was – sitting with two professors who had been instrumental in helping to shape Potter's life – being offered a job. Even years after they'd parted ways, he was still having a positive impact on Draco.

"Enough said on that matter, I think?" Dumbledore looked at McGonagall before returning his gaze to Draco. "I understand you are now married and have a son of your own?"

Draco smiled, relieved to switch to a subject he could talk about endlessly. "Yes, Scorpius. He's nine now, and Astoria and I are looking forward to receiving his Hogwarts letter in a couple of years."

McGonagall smiled. "He's on the list." Draco was relieved to hear it. Though he'd been nearly certain Scorpius would attend Hogwarts – generations of Malfoys had done before him, since William the Conqueror's days – he'd had doubts in the back of his mind. Sins of the father and all that.

McGonagall waved her wand and a tea service appeared. "So, shall we have that cup of tea now?"

They'd had that cup of tea then, along with some biscuits, and McGonagall had asked him about his time abroad, where he'd worked, what he liked most about his career. Dumbledore had closed his eyes and apparently gone to sleep, though Draco suspected he was listening to every word.

After tea, McGonagall had taken him on a tour of the castle – most things looked the same as when he'd attended – they'd done a remarkable job of repairing the damage caused by the battle – though they'd added a memorial on the grounds to those who'd lost their lives. When he'd looked at it, he'd been shocked to find the names of those close to him, from both sides, including Snape, his crazy Aunt Bella, and Crabbe. He'd needed a few minutes to collect himself afterwards and McGonagall had been gracious enough to give him some space and time to do so.

Draco shook off the memories. That had been years ago now. Why he was reliving that again today was beyond him. He wasn't sure if his subconscious was reminding him of all the horrible things he'd done, justifying the weasel's feelings about him, or telling him to go to the party and face his past head on like he'd done at Hogwarts.


After the lectures, Draco left his contact information with several students who were interested in pursuing further study in potions after leaving Hogwarts, two of whom he would keep an eye on as potential apprentices. Having a half hour before he was due to meet Scorpius, he walked the grounds and visited the memorial once more. Willing his mentor to posthumously guide him but receiving no response, he was left with nothing but his own scattered thoughts.

He met Scorpius in the Great Hall and they walked the familiar path into Hogsmeade.

"Where did you want to eat?" Draco asked, knowing full well what the answer would be.

"Three Broomsticks?" As expected. "Would you mind if we make a quick stop before we go for supper?"

"I don't mind at all. Where were you thinking?"

"We just had a Hogsmeade weekend and I saw something that I think Grandmother would like."

Draco smiled. "Sure, let's go see it."

When they arrived at Dervish and Banges, Scorpius led Draco to a display case, in which rested a crystal ball with a Christmas tree inside, complete with lights and a streetscape. "May we see this, please?" Scorpius asked the attendant.

"Certainly." She removed it from the case and handed it to Scorpius. "It's fragile, so be careful."

He held it up for Draco, took out his wand and whispered, "Nox," and all the lights went out. Then he said, "Lumos," and they all lit up again. He grinned triumphantly. "Do you think she'll like it?"

"I think she will love it." Draco paid for the gift, had the attendant gift wrap it and said he'd bring it home for safekeeping.

That done, they made their way to the pub. Once they'd ordered their meals, Scorpius said, "Albus' dad said he can come stay with us, but his parents need to figure out their schedule first."

"That sounds good. Have you given any thought to what you might want to do when he comes over?"

He shrugged. "Not really. I think he'd probably be happy to just hang around the house. Whenever he comes back after break, he talks about how busy everything is at home. Too many people around all the time."

Draco laughed. "Fair enough."

"Um …" Draco looked at his son and waited for him to continue. "So Albus said they have a Christmas party every year, and he asked if I could go."

Draco gave no indication that he already knew this. "Did you want to go?"

"Definitely!"

"Alright, then. When is it?"

"They don't know yet. They have to work out–"

"Work out the schedule?"

"Mm hmm. It's kinda weird now, with his parents divorced. And his mum remarried."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, Al's sister's pretty upset about it. She thought their parents would get back together."

"Did she now?"

"Yeah, but that's not going to happen now, is it?"

"No, I would imagine not."

"So Mr Potter said that you should come to the party too."

Fortunately, Potter had given him a head's up, or he might have burst out laughing at that statement. "Did he now?"

"Well, Al said that everyone's parents come, and it would just make sense for you to stay too. I think Al figures his dad might welcome someone new. Someone who, you know, doesn't remind him of Al's mum."

Draco considered this and wondered how much truth was in that, or if it was simply the boys' way of convincing him to go. It was plausible, given Potter had married into the Weasley family. And since they'd started dating back in school, they probably had many of the same friends from those days. He tried to imagine remaining civil, never mind friendly, with Astoria's family had they ever divorced. He'd have been wary of every drink they handed him. Nevertheless, he doubted Potter would have chosen Draco to be the one to not remind him of his ex-wife.

"Do you want me there?"

He shrugged. "If you want to go."

"You do realise that a party at the Potter house will probably include Albus' Uncle Ron too, right? I don't think he'd be too pleased if I were to go."

"I know. But Al says that Rose can get her dad to be nice. And Rose's mum can too."

He doubted very much that anyone could make the weasel play nice. "And you think that will work?"

"Well, if you bring me there and it gets all weird, you can leave and just pick me up later. If that's okay with you." He looked hopefully at Draco.

He hadn't made up his mind until now, but that look had done the trick. "I suppose I could do that, see how it goes." He would go to the party, wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and decide then if he would stay.

"Really?" Scorpius looked relieved, almost like he'd been a bit nervous about going on his own.

Draco smiled at his son, wondering if there was anything he wouldn't do for him. "Really."

When they left the pub and headed back towards the castle, they passed a crowd of people carolling. Draco nudged him and motioned towards the carollers. "Care to join them?"

He looked horrified. "Hell no," said Scorpius, as Draco knew he would. Thank Merlin for that.

Comments

[enchanted-jae.livejournal.com]

Nice to get some of Draco's teaching backstory.

:)

[sesheta-66.livejournal.com]

❤️