CHAPTER ONE

The war was over. Harry Potter had defeated Lord Voldemort. It has been in the news for months now. Every week it made the front page. Draco was just over seventeen. He had spent his birthday at trial being a witness for his father. Luckily for the Malfoy's, they had been granted amnesty for their crimes because the Dark Lord was dead.

It was early August and Draco felt out of place. Usually he would be at Diagon Alley getting everything he needed for the upcoming school year at Hogwarts. Unfortunately those days were far behind him. He often thought about how he didn't get a proper graduation. He didn't even get to repeat his last year.

Draco spent the majority of the summer in his room. He hardly ever saw his parents even though they lived together. They also never left the manor. They had been keeping a low profile since the trial. Mostly because it was no secret Lucius was still dabbling in dark magic.

Due to isolation, Draco had become depressed. His bedroom walls became his only friends. He had lost nearly everything that made him happy. Actually, he couldn't remember the last time he had been happy. He wasted his days trying to remember spells he learned in school. He also paced. He paced a lot. Ever since the night he attempted to murder Dumbledore, he felt as if something was missing. It was as if a large part of his mind had been ripped out leaving an empty hole. He spent hours trying to remember what he had forgotten. If he had a remembrall, the smoke would always be red.

When Draco wasn't pacing back and forth in his room, he was having panic attacks. He couldn't close his eyes without picturing what was left of Hogwarts when everything was said and done. Even though the war was over, he still fought a battle in his head everyday. On top of that, he couldn't sleep. His nightmares haunted him everytime he fell asleep. He thought he was better off just lying awake.

It was late one evening and Draco left his room for the first time that day. He walked down the large staircase that he tried his best to avoid.. Walking down all those steps made his legs hurt. He grew weak and fragile from not taking care of himself. He made his way to the kitchen to get a glass of water when he overheard a conversation his parents were having with his aunt Bellatrix Lastrange.

"We must finish out his commission. We made an unbreakable vow to him. We must kill the boy for his redemption." Bellatrix talked as if she was trying to tell a secret but she wasn't being very subtle.

"It's too late for that." Lucius was stern with her. "The war is over."

"It's not over until Harry Potter is dead."

Draco slid down the wall and sat on the floor by the door. He leaned closer so he could hear what they were talking about.

"We aren't strong enough. Besides, he now possesses the Elder Wand. How are we going to get past that?"

Bellatrix grinned, showing off her dirty, crooked teeth. "I have a plan."

Draco's mother Narcissa was quiet for a while before she entered the conversation.

"Even with a solid plan, it will take years to get the boy alone. I'm sure not a day has gone by without the poparazzi bombarding his home. Even if we succeed, we all have ourselves a one way ticket to Azkaban. It's too risky."

Bellatrix smiled at her sister. After her time in Azkaban, it no longer scared her. Nothing scared her anymore.

"You won't have to worry about that, Cissy. We could give your son another opportunity to make us proud."

Draco pressed his ear to the door when he heard they were talking about him.

"Absolutely not. After what happened last time?"

"Draco is a brilliant young man. He just needs a bit of a push. With the right encouragement he could be as great as the Dark Lord himself one day."

The thought of that made Lucius feel proud. He always knew Draco had an immense amount of potential. Draco didn't feel the same way. His heart dropped when he finally understood what they were talking about. Why would they want him to kill Harry Potter when he failed so miserably the last time they had him murder someone.

"I will have a talk with him tonight." Narcissa was pale in the face. She loved Draco but Bellatrix was very convincing.

"You won't regret this, Cissy." her words lingered as she apparated into thin air. Narcissa excused herself from the dining room table and ran into Draco who had been eavesdropping.

"Uh, I was just coming to get a glass of water." He quickly stood up startled as he didn't expect to see her so soon.

"Draco, love, we need to have a chat." Narcissa walked him into the dining area and had him sit down. She explained the importance of their unbreakable vow they had made with Voldemort before he died. "I've always expected great things out of you. You have rarely let me down."

Draco was sick to his stomach. How could they make him go through with something like this again? He often wondered if his parents really loved him or if they just had him to fulfill their evil assignments. Draco glared at his mother.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, but you don't have a choice right now. This is the most important thing you will ever have to do for us."

Draco wondered why his father was letting his mother do all of the talking. Why was he just sitting there watching it all go down? He wanted nothing more than to tell them no and go back to his room but he already felt like he already let them down enough.

"How do I do it?" His voice was scratchy. He couldn't remember the last time he had talked out loud.

"The first part will be quite simple, Draco." his father finally joined the conversation. "You will have to befriend the enemy."

"How the hell am I going to do that?" He thought his father was the stupidest person in the world. There was no way in hell that he would get Harry Potter to become his friend. Not after all those years of tormenting him at Hogwarts. Especially not since he thought he was the one who killed Dumbledore.

"You will need to be vulnerable. You will need to gain his trust. That's the only way to get close to him." Draco felt as if his father asked him to steal the moon. It seemed impossible.

"Now honey, this is going to take time." Draco hated how his mother talked to him so sweetly as she discussed murder with him. "You will need to plan every little thing. It must be the perfect execution."

"Where do I find him?" Draco had no emotion in his voice even though he was furious. He just wanted to get this over with.

His mother handed him a piece of parchment with an address on it.

"Bellatrix has been watching him for the past month. Supposedly he has been living off the grid with that Weasley boy and that mudblood girl."

Draco knew exactly who she was talking about. The thought of it sent him back in time to the day he watched her get tortured by Bellatrix. He remembered standing there not being able to move. Not being able to do anything except watch the girl in agony. He could still hear her cry out his name. Pleading him to help. He couldn't. Guilt ran through his body as the image replayed in his mind.

"The most important thing is you must not gain feelings for them. They are not your friends. Before you get too close, remember your task." She handed him the parchment. He stared at it for a while before reacting.

Finally he ripped the piece of paper from her hand and left the dining room. He marched up the stairs and went into his bathroom. He ran the shower as cold as it could get. He shook as he undressed himself and stepped into the freezing water. He needed to cool off before he punched a whole in the wall. He collapsed onto the shower floor. The stress he had felt in sixth year was all coming back to him. He felt out of control of his own life. Why did he accept? Why didn't he walk away? Why couldn't he just be dead? He contemplated suicide far too often. He hated every part of himself. He couldn't even look in a mirror without wanting to shatter it. His favorite fantasy was of him picking up a shard of glass and slitting his throat. Swiftly and painlessly. He felt as if he could do it but he could never bring himself to look into a mirror.

He finally turned off the shower. His body was numb. That's the way he liked it. He dried himself off and got dressed. He pulled out a trunk and started to pack his belongings. He mindlessly packed a couple pairs of clothes, a toothbrush, and the piece of parchment. He left his home without saying goodbye. He started his journey to seek out Harry Potter. He had no idea what he had gotten himself into.