Absolution

I never went to school with any Malfoys. Lucius and Narcissa graduated from Hogwarts twenty years ago, nearly a decade before my time, and their only son was at school with my youngest brother, so I never knew him, either. Perhaps this is why I've never been as much into the Malfoy and Weasley rivalry as the rest of my family. Charlie's the same way- he has no particular like or dislike of the Malfoys either. At family gatherings, when Ron would start ranting about "those arrogant gits," Charlie and I would simply look at each other and shrug.

The rest of the family spent ages hating the Malfoys. Fred and George didn't care much either way, being too caught up in their own doings to bother with petty arguments, but everyone else, even my mum, could rage about the Malfoys for hours. It seemed silly to me, but then again, I never had to put up with any flack from that family myself, so I suppose I really can't say how everyone else should have dealt with them.

The rivalry with the Malfoys is on my mind so much today because I'm at home, at a family party. Normally I don't spare too much thought for the rivalry, but it's impossible to not think about it when I'm with all the family, because the rivalry with the Malfoys- and with one of them in particular- has become a major part of my family's history. I think that none of us who were there will ever be able to forget, as long as we live, the moment when Draco Malfoy appeared in our lives.

Tucked inside an old photo album on the living room bookshelf is a picture that was taken that night. I pull it out now, one corner of my mouth quirking into a wry smile, as I sit back on the couch. The picture seems such an innocent thing: two young people in nice robes at a dance, looking around as though slightly unsure of themselves. No one could ever guess at all the emotion and back story behind this picture by just looking at it- though they might have a hint of it if they happened to know the identity of the blonde young man it showed.

If anyone did happen to recognize the young man as Draco Malfoy, then they might begin to guess at the story behind that picture, at the burning emotions that shot like sparks that night. They might remember the handsome young scion of the noble line of Malfoy who lost everything in the war- his parents, his good name, his innocence. They might remember reports that he had joined the Death Eaters partway through the war, though he never rose to any prominence. If they know this, they probably also know he disappeared at the end of the war and was presumed dead for several months.

If people remember anything about Draco Malfoy, it will be the reports they heard of the night he returned to England. No one who wasn't there, though, could really understand how everyone felt on seeing him. Only those of us there at the Ministry's ball to celebrate the three-month anniversary of the end of the war really know how things went. And of those of us who were there, I think that I probably know the story best. My judgement and perception weren't clouded by prejudice against Draco Malfoy; more to the point, I saw much more of the story than everyone else did, because it involved my own sister.

---

Less than a hundred people were invited to the Ministry's war anniversary ball. This was for good reason: the ballroom wasn't that big; also, with as many important people as were going to be there, it was necessary to keep security fairly tight. Most of all, the Ministry had almost no money to spend on a ball; its coffers had been emptied in the war effort, and now it had to work on saving the taxes it collected and refilling the treasury.

For this reason, relatively few people received invitations: high ranking Ministry officials, important civilians, some of the war's best soldiers, and, of course, the Order of the Phoenix. This meant the entire Weasley clan was invited, even Percy, although he'd never been trusted enough to be let officially into the Order. We were excited to get to go as a family- as a whole family, as luckily we hadn't lost anyone in the war- and we were even more excited to have any reason to celebrate. For several dark months, we'd been convinced there would never be a reason to celebrate again.

We all went to the Ministry offices together, Apparating from the Burrow. Even Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, my brother's two best friends and two of the greatest heroes of the war, were there; after all we'd been through together, they're really family.

The only person not there was Ginny, who'd said she'd meet us there. Perhaps that should have tipped us off- Ginny is an absolute homebody who always wants the family to do things together- but none of us thought twice as we adjusted our robes and performed the spell to take us to the ball.

The ball was a lavish affair. I'd been in the ballroom at the Ministry only once before, when it was being used to house refugees. Now, though, it looked completely different than it had then. The marble floors and columns had been polished until they shone in the light from the newly-restored crystal chandeliers. The walls were hung with tapestries, both valuable antiques and newly woven images of triumphs and heroes from the war- the largest, I noted with amusement, had the Weasley name on it, written on a border around a giant phoenix, along with the names of the rest of the Order. Never before had I thought to be on a tapestry.

At the back of the ballroom was a raised dais on which a small orchestra was set up; at the front was a stage, hung with banners from the Ministry, the Order, and Hogwarts. Apparently Fudge was doing everything he could to make up for the time he'd spent fighting against Dumbledore at the beginning of the war. I was sure that Dumbledore, who didn't seem to have arrived yet, would find the banners as silly as I did.

As the ballroom started to fill with people, I quickly found Fleur DeLacour, who was my girlfriend at the time. As we stood near the walls and talked, the room continued to fill with people, many looking important and rich, some of them friends of mine from the Order. Everyone was dressed in their finest robes. Even the formerly impoverished Remus Lupin, who arrived with a group from the Order, was in new formal robes, which he had purchased with the money he got in his new job at the Department of Magical Creatures.

Two of the people I was looking most keenly for, though, did not arrive: Dumbledore and my sister Ginny. I figured they might be arriving together, for some reason of their own, because Ginny had gone up to Hogwarts that morning to see the old headmaster. Whatever their reason was, though, they remained elusive. Fudge got up on stage to welcome everyone to the party, and Dumbledore and Ginny hadn't shown up yet. The orchestra struck up and played through their first set; still they did not arrive.

I danced with Fleur for most of the songs, though I danced one with Charlie's girlfriend, one with Hermione and two with my mother. During the orchestra's break, I caught up with some of my friends from the Order, who I hadn't seen for some time. A few minutes later, the orchestra started up again, and I continued to dance, though I was beginning to get a bit worried about Ginny. What if something had happened to her?

Several waltzes later, the orchestra announced the last song of their second set. By this time, it had grown somewhat late, and I was feeling a little more concerned. It was not like Ginny to be so late.

Fleur came up to ask me to dance, but when she saw my face, her bright blue eyes immediately filled with concern. "What is it, Bill?" she asked, her accent barely detectable after so much time spent in England. I shrugged. "Ginny hasn't shown up yet. She's normally not late for these kinds of things, and I know she was excited for tonight. I don't know why she's not here." Ginny and I had always been close, despite the large difference in our ages. She was my innocent baby sister, and I was her protective big brother. I wondered if that closeness had me overly concerned over something that wasn't a big deal.

"She Floo'd us this afternoon and said she'd be arriving with Dumbledore," said a voice behind me, and I turned to see my dad standing behind me, my mother's arm in his. "Oh," I said, feeling relieved. "That's good. I was just worried that maybe something had happened to her on the way here."

"I'm sure she's fine," said Mum in a soothing fashion. "If she's with Dumbledore, what could happen to her?"

"Anything!" boomed a voice behind Fleur, and I smiled to see Alastor Moody approaching. He had a number of new scars, and a few body parts that'd had to be replaced with wood or metal, but other than that he seemed to have escaped the war hale and sane. "Constant vigilance!" he boomed again. Well, as hale and sane as he had ever been, which is not saying that much. He continued. "I'd find out where that little girl of yours is pretty quick! Anything happens that's out of the ordinary, of the usual routine, could be a sign that something's gone wrong." We all laughed while he looked at us in annoyance. Little did we know how close to the truth his blazon would turn out to be.

As the orchestra finished their song, I glanced over at the entrance and saw Albus Dumbledore entering slowly, his eyes alert in his weathered face. He seemed to have aged a lot during the war- and he was a very old man to begin with- but in spite of this he maintained his warm humor and sagacity. Right now, he seemed very peaceful- as peaceful as I'd seen him since the war ended.

"There's Dumbledore," I said. "I'm going to go see if Ginny came with him." Fleur nodded, deep in a conversation with Moody. "You go ahead," she said. "Come find me later." I nodded and strolled across the ballroom.

Before I reached Dumbledore, though, he was pulled toward the stage by Fudge. Not wanting to interrupt the two most important men in wizarding Britain, I glanced over the ballroom once, then headed out into the hall to find Ginny myself.

After looking around to get my bearings, I strode off down the hall. Before I'd gotten two steps, Dumbledore's voice suddenly boomed out, magically magnified to be heard in the ballroom and all the surrounding corridors. Probably another 'congratulations' speech, I thought. I'd heard enough of those in the past few months to keep me satisfied for a lifetime, so I kept walking, though I kept half my attention on Dumbledore's words.

"Dearest friends and comrades in arms, we are gathered here to celebrate the courage of those who fought, lived and died to free us from the Dark Lord's bondage." There was a faint cheer from the direction of the ballroom. "We had many brave witches and wizards out in battle. But not only the Order of the Phoenix and the Ministry of Magic had heroes who fought the war. There are many ways to fight, and all those who stood up to the Dark Lord's tyranny are heroes as well."

It was all more of the same speeches I'd heard a hundred times. They were nice, but nothing life-changing. Ginny was not down by the main entrance of the Ministry, so I turned and started tracking back to check the other direction. I passed the door to the ballroom, glanced in to check for my sister, then went on to check the rest of the corridors.

Dumbledore was continuing, finishing some statement I only half-caught about honoring those who fought. Then his speech changed a little. "There is one other person who has not been mentioned yet- a true unsung hero, without whom we never could have brought the conflict to an end." My ears perked up and I listened more closely as I headed to check one last corridor. Who could Dumbledore be talking about?

At precisely that moment, I turned the corner and came face to face with known Death Eater Draco Malfoy.

I recognized him immediately, as all witches and wizards in Britain would have, and instantly my hand was in my robes, pulling out my wand to point it in his face. I had no quarrel with him, the way my family did- I could only imagine what Ron would be doing in this situation- but all Death Eaters were to be arrested and taken to trial for their crimes.

His eyes widened, but he didn't move. I didn't know what I would do with him- bring him into the ballroom and ruin the festivities?- but at that moment he distracted me by looking at something just behind me. Before I could turn to try to pull a wand on whoever it was he had brought with him, a slender, pale hand reached out from behind me to pull my wand away from the Death Eater's face. "Bill, don't!" cried a voice.

I recognized that voice. "Ginny?" I asked in disbelief, gaping at my little sister as she walked up next to me. She was in green formal dress robes, her hair done up in a twist. Now that I looked closer, I realized that Draco Malfoy was in formals too, the accents on his black robe matching Ginny's dress.

I must have looked thoroughly confused, because Ginny laughed, a quiet, somewhat nervous sound. "Bill," she smiled, "I'm glad it's you, because you'll understand."

"Ginny?" I asked slowly, my wand still drawn. "Do you know who this is?"

A similar look crossed over both their faces- a quick frown of sadness and frustration. I was startled at the emotion on the blonde war criminal's face, and I got the sudden impression that he hated this question because he'd been trying to escape from who he was. When Ginny spoke, I listened carefully, wanting to understand what was going on.

"Yes, I know who he is," she said, smiling a little, a small and somewhat wary grin. "Do you know who he is, Bill?"

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Uh, Draco Malfoy?" I asked, wondering if there was something I didn't know.

Despite the tension in the air, Ginny laughed, and both I and the blonde man in front of me relaxed a little. "No," she said, shaking her head. "Well, yes. But in addition to that- well, listen." She pointed upward, and I immediately knew she meant to listen to Dumbledore's speech, which had been droning on all this while. I immediately looked up, although there was nothing to see, and listened.

"This person risked everything to help us. They lived with the very real possibility of being found out and killed by Voldemort, so that they could spy for the Order of the Phoenix."

Realization dawned on me as Dumbledore continued rumbling on overhead. "Him?" I asked Ginny, tilting my head toward Draco, who was looking strangely embarrassed. She nodded.

I pressed on in surprise. "Draco Malfoy, of the Malfoys of England, spied on the Death Eaters?" She nodded again.

I started putting pieces together in my head. "Dumbledore wants to reveal the truth here so that all of the high-ups will be convinced and not throw him in jail?" Nod. "And you're with him because . . . it gives him credibility?" Another nod. "And . . . you realize Ron's going to have a fit?"

This time they both nodded, a little glumly, and I had to grin. "And you're absolutely sure that he did everything Dumbledore says he did?" I asked, and Ginny nodded earnestly. "I'm positive."

I studied Draco a long moment, while Ginny watched me, waiting for my reaction. Then I smiled. "Well, if you and Dumbledore trust him, I trust him, too." I stuck out my hand for Draco to shake, while the blonde man looked at me in surprise. "Mr. Malfoy, I'm behind you all the way. Although," I said, as though considering, "those of us on your side are a sorry little lot right now, aren't we?"

Draco nodded glumly as he reached out to shake my hand. "This is never going to work," he said, and I was surprised at how young he sounded. In my mind I'd always pictured him as a hardened, angry old sinner, but right then he sounded very young and very scared.

"We owe him everything," Dumbledore was saying, "and I would like for us to give him the thanks he deserves."

"Oh! That's our cue," said Ginny, catching at Draco's hand and leading him toward the door of the ballroom. I followed. Just outside the door, they paused to wait for Dumbledore's introduction. As I started walking out, Ginny turned and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Bill," she said, and I smiled.

Then I passed Draco, and I gave him a wry smile and a clap on the shoulder. "Good luck, Malfoy. You're going to need it." He looked back at me, looking nervous and pale, and gave me a shaky smile.

Once I was inside, I dashed back to where my family was standing. No way was I missing a moment of this. Mum and Dad pressed me about where I'd been, but I shushed them and pointed to Dumbledore, who was still talking. "With all this in mind," the old headmaster said, "I'd like everyone to welcome the unsung hero of the second wizard war, Mr. Draco Malfoy!"

It was like one of those moments in Muggle movies where everyone just stares and all you can hear is the crickets chirping. Draco entered the room slowly, Ginny on his arm, and looked nervously around at all the people there, who were staring at him in fear and hatred. He looked quickly at my sister, and she smiled reassuringly and led him toward the dance floor.

The silence was stretching along unbearingly. I looked around quickly. Should I clap? Cheer? Do something to make the moment less awkward? Fortunately, at that moment Dumbledore looked up at the orchestra. "May we have some more music?" he asked, smiling beatifically in the way that only Albus Dumbledore could after throwing a former Death Eater into a room full of Aurors and Ministry officials. "I think I fancy a waltz."

The orchestra leader quickly started up his group, obviously glad to break the silence. As the music played, I saw Ginny turn hesitantly to Draco and say something, and he hesitantly placed one hand on her waist and took her hand with his other.

The scene was very sweet, but as the strange couple began to move across the floor, I heard pounding footsteps behind me. I turned around just in time to see Ron storming across the floor. He was, as I'd expected, throwing a fit. I quickly grabbed him round the chest and held him back.

As he struggled to get loose, I looked around, located Charlie, and nodded toward Harry. Charlie nodded in understanding and rushed forward to stop the Boy Who Lived, who was also storming across the floor with fire in his eyes, though not quite so quickly as Ron had been.

Fred and George, always wanting to get in on the action, ran toward Hermione, who had not been storming anywhere, and grabbed her arms, looking around intimidatingly as though to dare anyone to challenge them. Charlie and I both laughed as Hermione wriggled indignantly, and then I looked over to watch my baby sister waltz with a Slytherin.

After a few moments of struggling, Ron gave up and started to yell. "You get your filthy dark hands off my sister!" he bellowed, and Draco and Ginny slowed and then stopped dancing to look at him. Draco's expression was carefully blank, but Ginny looked embarrassed and hurt.

Ron continued to yell until my dear, clever Fleur performed a silencing spell on him, an annoyed expression on her face. As he continued to mouth words that were probably not fit for polite company, Ginny and Draco approached us slowly, Ginny still looking hurt but beginning to get angry.

"Ron," she said slowly, her voice dripping with venom. Ron stopped his silent ranting and looked at her, obviously surprised at her anger. "Listen," she said, poking her older brother in the chest. The music kept playing, but the whole ballroom was still, everyone wanting to see what would happen but most too proud to admit that they were keeping such a close eye on the goings on. "I am here with Draco by my own choice, so please show a little more courtesy to my date."

"But Ginny, it's Draco Malfoy!" shouted Harry over the sound of the orchestra, because Ron still couldn't talk. "Don't you know what he's done? He was a Death Eater! A murderer!"

Draco blanched, but Ginny simply turned to Harry as cool as could be. "And don't you know that he turned to our side? He's the reason we won the war." Then she bit her lip, and I knew that her next words, although addressed to Harry, were more for Draco to hear. "And as for what he did as a Death Eater, he's sorry." She turned to Draco. "And I forgive him." Draco's face softened, and he took Ginny's hand to lead her onto the dance floor, leaving a flabbergasted Ron and Harry behind them.

It took two whole songs for Ron to calm down, both of which Draco danced with Ginny. Other people began joining them on the floor, though not so many as there had been before. Most of these people made a point to avoid Draco and Ginny- I suppose even Dumbledore's word wasn't enough for some people- but a few danced very closely to them in order to get a good look at the former killer and apparent spy.

When Ron finally stopped struggling against my hold, I released him, performing the counter spell to the silence Fleur had put on him. "Now, Ronnykins," I said in the firm tone of someone disciplining a child, "if I let you go dance, can you promise not to fight with Mr. Malfoy?" Ron scowled deeply, but finally agreed. From the looks of it, Charlie was giving Harry a similar talk.

As Ron stalked away, probably to go shoo the twins away from Hermione, Fleur came up behind me and placed her hand on my arm. "That was interesting," she said softly. "Everything Dumbledore said was true?" I placed a hand over hers. "I suppose so. I can't think of any reason he'd lie." I grinned at her. "By the way, thanks for taking care of Ron back there."

"Any time," she grinned. "You know I hate to hear him bellow."

We sat in silence for a few moments and watched the dancing couples, until Harry approached Ginny and Draco, obviously asking them if he could cut in. Draco looked slightly upset by this, but Ginny obviously couldn't think of a reason to say no, so she nodded and went to dance with him, Draco's eyes following her all the while.

After watching Ginny go, Draco walked slowly off the dance floor, looking very alone. No one near him was really talking to him, and he looked decidedly down. An idea occurred to me, and I turned to Fleur and smiled. "What?" she demanded suspiciously.

It took a lot of convincing, but she finally agreed, and with an exaggerated sigh she walked across the ballroom and asked Draco to dance with her. He looked surprised, but agreed and led her onto the dance floor. Ginny, seeing them whirl by her, looked at them in surprise, then looked back at me and smiled. I smiled back and settled into a chair to watch the dancers.

The rest of the evening passed in much the same way. Draco danced with Ginny nearly every song. The only times he got asked by other women was when Charlie, Fred, George and I asked our girlfriends to go ask him to dance. We only did this when Harry, Ron or one of their school friends, obviously trying to keep Ginny away from Draco, would cut in. Watching them, I sighed. Apparently having Draco around was going to take a lot of getting used to.

And I felt quite sure that he was going to be around, as I watched him dance with Ginny the final time. The orchestra leader announced that the last song would be a slow dance, then started the orchestra on something soft and romantic. Ginny had been dancing with Harry on the song before, but Draco approached them and cut in very firmly. I smiled as I saw it.

As Harry and Ron both looked at them somewhat angrily, Draco led Ginny out onto the dance floor, holding her hand gently. He looked around uncomfortably a moment, unsure of where to put his hands, and Ginny smiled and threw her arms around his neck. He smiled back and put his arms around her waist, and they swayed slowly to the strains of the orchestra. When the song ended, she smiled openly and warmly at Draco, and kissed him softly on the cheek. Draco's eyes closed ever-so-briefly as Ginny kissed him, and Fleur sighed at the sweetness of it all and laid her head on my shoulder. "They make a cute couple, don't they?" she said, and I had to agree.

As the couples all separated, Colin Creevey, apparently trying to extend the olive branch, approached Draco and Ginny with his ever-present camera. Ginny smiled at Colin, and then at Draco, who gave an exaggerated sigh and turned to face the camera. He placed his arm gingerly around her shoulders and smiled rather unsurely for the picture.

I, standing nearby with Fleur, could see the look on Draco's face, the tenderness with which held his arm around her shoulders, and I smiled. Yes, it seemed Draco Malfoy would be around for a long time yet.

---

And he has been. It took a long time for people to start accepting him, or at least to stop their old habits of cursing at him in the streets. When the Ministry of Magic cleared him of all charges and crimes, however, most people came around and began to tolerate Draco a lot better. He even managed to get a job as a clerk at a lawyer's office, and he's been working his way up through the ranks since then.

For my family, though, acceptance was a lot harder to come by. After the "mess at the ball," as Dad called it, he, Mum and Percy had trouble having civil conversations with Ginny, and Ron refused even to see her until she "stopped hanging around with that common criminal." Ginny came to my apartment to cry a lot for the first month or so.

In time, though, Percy came around, figuring that if the Ministry had cleared Draco of his crimes, what else did they need? Mum broke down next, unable to hold a grudge against her beloved baby girl. Then Dad gave in, slowly but surely, hating to pain both his wife and daughter. In time, all three came to regard it as wonderfully charitable that Ginny had helped a man restore his good name.

Ron, however, wasn't nearly so forgiving. He didn't speak to Ginny for months. It was lucky he had moved away from home, or else things would have gotten ugly, I'm sure. Harry was angry with Ginny, too, though he calmed down a bit after Dumbledore took him aside and gave him the full account of Draco's doings. Even so, according to Ginny, any time she and the trio were in the same room, the boys would refuse to talk, while Hermione apologized to her profusely for their actions.

This upset Ginny a lot, but she always knew they'd come around. Besides, she was too happy to worry too much. As I'd suspected, the way Draco had looked at Ginny that night had not been simply out of gratitude for helping him clear his name. And that picture Colin took of them at the dance was the first of many that show them happily together.

Coming back from the places my thoughts have been, I realize said picture is still in my hand, and I study it in amusement for a long moment. Then I put it away and head outside, where the whole Weasley clan has finished dessert and is sprawled across the backyard, talking. My parents are there, as is Fleur, who soon after the ball was promoted from girlfriend to wife. All the brothers and their significant others are in various spots throughout the yard. The trio is even here, home from their trips all over the country as Aurors.

And near the porch, under the shade of a tall tree, the first blonde Weasley descendant in many generations sits in her uncle Ron's lap, pulling at his tie. He smiles goofily at her, and she giggles, earning a smile from Harry and Hermione. It's always good to see them so warm and friendly, when for so long they were still fighting with Ginny.

Ron and Harry finally mended their quarrel with Ginny when they received the invitation to her wedding. Ron finally admitted that whatever his quarrel with Malfoy was, it wasn't worth losing his sister over, and when Ginny married Draco and became Mrs. Ginevra Malfoy, Ron and Harry were sitting in the first row.

At just this moment, Ginny and Draco appear from the kitchen, where they were doing dishes from dinner. Ginny runs out to play with her little girl, and Draco looks around, then comes to stand next to me. I happen to know it's because I'm his favorite brother-in-law. His face is lit with a contented smile. "So, how's life?" I ask, already sure I know the answer from the look on his face.

The smile widens. "Perfect," he says, then looks out into the sunset. He ponders a moment, then speaks softly and thoughtfully. "It's hard to believe that two years ago, the only thing I wanted to do was hide out in the middle of Ireland until I died. I thought that the only way to sort out the mess that was my life was for me to disappear for good."

"And now?" I prompt.

"And now my life is everything I never thought it could be. I finally feel like I'm being forgiven for everything I've done."

I smile at him. "Well, we're glad to have you here." I glance over at Fred and George. "Because you know the twins always enjoy having someone to test products on."

Draco looks over the twins, their heads bent over a notebook, and laughs. "Well, it's nice to be wanted." With another smile, he walks down into the grass to join his family.

fin