Alpha and Omega

Chapter 5: An Emotion called Hope

Draco reached out to touch the oak doors once again, pressing slightly against the handles. The doors swung inward silently, admitting him into a large, spacious room.

A swift perusal of the room showed him one wall filled with bookshelves and the opposing walls held shelves upon shelves of Dark Detection instruments. A closer look revealed various Sneakoscopes; one glittered dully and was humming what suspiciously sounded like We wish You a Happy Christmas upon closer examination.

"Mr. Malfoy!" A voice filled apparent surprise startled him from his attentions to a brassy, spindly contraption that seemed like a torture piece.

He spun around quickly and with a sinking feeling, realized that the voice belonged to none other than his Transfigurations professor, Professor Minevra McGonagall.

"Hello, Professor," he said carefully, with narrowed eyes, and began to edge carefully to the door for a swift exit. There was no chance that his former teacher was now the Head Auror. Freaks of nature, he thought bitterly. For entrapping me in the enemy's lair. Damn you, old man!

"Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall repeated again, but this time, with a firm command. "There is no need for you to make a hasty exit. You have just arrived, after all."

Draco arched an eyebrow but did not come closer. "I shall leave, Professor," he said, with no emotion. "If I am to be under your jurisdiction, forget it."

"You thought I was the Head Auror?" his ex-professor said amusedly. "I am not. I am merely filling in as the interim Head Auror as he has business to attend to abroad."

"And what of Hogwarts?" said Draco said, sneering.

His professor sighed and sat down in the high-backed seat that stood behind the broad, paper-strewn desk, gesturing Draco to one of the chairs in front of her.

He did not move, and in apparent resignation, McGonagall began to talk.

***

She could not, ever, imagine a Hogwarts without the presence of Albus Dumbledore as the Headmaster. After his death, Minevra McGonagall decided to join the Ministry of Magic.

McGonagall found the Ministry, to her surprise and great disappointment, fraught with power struggles not seen during the Headmaster's time. With the relatively recent Prime Minister, Rufus Scrimgeour, it was apparent that the wizarding government was worse off than ever. She took a part-time job as assistant to the current Head Auror, a certain Melanie Ravines, who was famed for the capture of many Death Eaters during the First War.

However, Ravines was much too busy to stay at a proper office job filling out papers which was why McGonagall left her professorship at Hogwarts to a full-time job at the Ministry. She, along with the approval of Ravines, created a new sub-organization that would train likely Aurors who were not of age or could not attend school due to the many and recent attacks on young students in various academies across the country, including Hogwarts.

These Aurors-in-training would accompany (in full safety from attacks) real, experienced Aurors who would train them in an accelerated program of 3 years before taking a comprehensive examination which would consolidate their knowledge and test their aptness before becoming real Aurors.

The program already had 37 young wizards and witches so far. Minevra McGonagall informed Draco Malfoy he was to be one of them.

***

His old Transfigurations professor handed him a 2-inch thick stack of papers to study from.

"I don't know why Albus Dumbledore sent you here today, but it is certainly because he sees you as a promising learner," she remarked after she saw the phoenix shining brightly against his palm.

Draco left the office with instructions to return the next day, but he wasn't sure whether or not he should have given the scroll to McGonagall. Anyways, the mark on his hand did not hurt when he reemerged on the street.

The cobblestones were wet and slick with the hazy drizzle that settled over the city, and he thought very hard on his options. He would either keep running like an outlaw (at which that bird will awaken) or come the next day.

There wasn't much of an option, he thought bitterly.

***

Draco arrived the next day, having swiftly perused the documents the night before. They contained various, tedious details that included counter-jinxes, how to identify and avoid curses, etc. Thanks to Lucius Malfoy, he was already well-versed in his knowledge of the Dark Arts, and merely tossed the stack under his bed, yawning.

The office was teeming with activity, but he still got to the receptionist's desk without trouble. However, Bernice was not there, but a vaguely familiar-looking wizard was in her place.

"Malfoy?" he said sharply when the blond approached his desk. "Draco Malfoy? Slytherin seeker?"

Draco arched an eyebrow. "That would be me," he said coldly, recognizing the former Gryffindor captain, Oliver Wood.

The older boy gave him an appraising look. "I thought you were missing. Reports and such, along with Snape..."

"Right." A tense moment passed, with each boy attempting to stare the other down, their early rivalries in Quidditch not forgotten.

"I thought you were out trying for some Quidditch team. Rejected, weren't you? I never thought much of your technique," Draco said snidely.

Wood glared. "I don't think you ever won a game, Malfoy."

"Don't be so sure about that..."

"Malfoy!" A voice called out, and Draco turned around to meet the writhing mass of cubicles from which Ginny Weasley stepped out.

"Oh. Weasley." He curtly nodded. The redhead greeted the other displeased boy who merely made a short greeting, clearly displeased by Draco's presence.

She gestured to the blond, who followed her. As they walked along, Weasley began to reprimand Draco.

"You know, you should have forgotten all that business about Quidditch. Load of rubbish."

"Says the girl who was Chaser of the Gryffindor team."

"Oliver gave up his prospects of joining a Quidditch team when he realized that defeating the Dark Lord was most important in his list of priorities. Maybe you should consider that our work here is important as well," she added, casting him a sidelong glance.

Draco huffed, at which the girl rolled her eyes. "Quit complaining," she said. "You're on the right side." She looked at him again. "That is right, correct? That's why you came to the Ministry, specifically to the Aurors' office?"

"I don't know," he said, surprising himself with his honest realization.

She stopped and looked at him. "Why did you come here, then?"

He paused before answering. "Someone sent me here for a task." He blindly turned on her with a surprising savageness, stopping their progress through the hallway. "It's really difficult running around so much. And you don't know what you're running from. All you can think is I have to get to my next destination, not even aware of what the future lies ahead of you." Draco laughed bitterly. "And there is no one, no one, that seems to exist. They stand still as you rush past them. After my sixth year, there was no future for me. All that I thought my future held for me was gone."

His chest heaved slightly, and he shook his head as if to clear his thoughts before moving away again. Ginny stared amazedly at the blond boy who was now striding down the hallway and quickly ran to catch up with him.

***

The two teenagers found themselves in the Head Auror's office again in front of McGonagall.

"You had a good night, Ms. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy?"

Ginny said a bright "yes!" while Draco nodded unwillingly, as if the pain of nodding would split his head.

Their professor gave them a cursory once-over and nodded. "Good. Now, today, you both will be working a pair with an Auror that was assigned to you by random. Ginny, you would know her. Nymphadora..."

"Tonks," announced a firm voice. A young witch with violet, spiky hair stepped from the door, carefully shutting it behind her, but knocking down an umbrella stand nevertheless. McGonagall winced at the thudding noise it made.

"Cheers, Ginny," she said after readjusting her surroundings. She looked at Draco with an intent curiosity. "Malfoy?"

Draco glared at the blood-traitor with narrowed eyes. "That would be me, yes." He expected her to draw his wand and curse him to hell, but she only nodded and turned to McGonagall. "Well, I'll show them around the Ministry today, and if we have more time, I'll take them out."

"That would be fine, Nymphadora."

"Tonks," muttered the witch under her breath. McGonagall ignored her.

They waved their byes, with Draco stiffly keeping his arm to the side and throwing a last scowl at McGonagall. "Be good!" said their professor, and he knew to whom that last remark was specifically directed to.

As they stepped outside into the Auror's office, Tonks said, "So, today, I'll show you where your office is- yes, Draco, both of Ginny and you. You both are partners after all, and will be for the next three years, and faster, if I can help it."

Draco was startled at what came out of his mouth next. "My mother?"

Tonks stopped into her tracks, causing Ginny to walk into her.

He cleared his throat. "Um, do you know how my mother is?"

She gave him a piercing look. "No, I am not aware of the fate of Narcissa. You are here for her, aren't you?"

"No, I was forced..."

"You weren't. If your will was less strong, you would not be here." She clapped her hands, and the mood lightened considerably. Throughout the exchange, Ginny hung back slightly, trying not to listen or show any sign of surprise at the mention of Narcissa Malfoy.

"Don't worry," Tonks said and put a hand on the young wizard's shoulder. He didn't pull away. "We'll just have to do our best, won't we? We'll start today."

If one looked closely at Draco Malfoy at that moment, one could have detected a light of hope in his eyes, but even he could not name the emotion that suddenly filled his being. As it was, the three stepped into the nearest open cubicle and vanished.