His whole life he had been trapped. He'd followed orders, and done exactly what was asked of him. The Dark Lord singled him out for reasons unknown to him, and he obeyed his every command. The Cruciatus curse became his signature move, and he used it well. He was young, true, but that only made his appeal greater.

But he was done.

He was done with all the torture, all the screaming, and all the pain. Once he had believed he enjoyed all that being a Death Eater entailed. But now the Dark Lord was dead, and the Death Eaters were no more.

Or so he thought.

He heard his parents up one night, talking in hushed voices.

"He's young." His mother protested.

"He's twenty one." His father snapped. "He could be a great asset to us. We need to be redeemed in the other's eyes. After how you betrayed the Dark Lord—"

"I was protecting our family!" His mother exclaimed furiously. "If it wasn't for me, we'd all be in Azkaban!"

"If it wasn't for you, the Dark Lord may still be alive!" His father countered.

"I did what I thought was best for us, and for our son." His mother whispered.

"Yes, well, it's time Draco proved his worth." His father drawled. "The few of us that are still alive are gathering tonight, and he will be coming with me. You, however, are no longer welcome. It will be up to me and Draco to salvage what's left of the Malfoy name."

"The war is over." His mother said softly. "Let it be."

"My dear," His father began, "The war has just begun."

Draco heard footsteps advancing up the steps to his room. He knew without a doubt that it was his father coming to get him, to trap him once again in the life he hated.

So he did the only logical thing he could think of.

He ran.

--

"What?" Ginny Weasley exclaimed. "You cannot be serious!"

"This is not a joking matter." Mrs. Weasley said. "It is what must be done." Ginny turned towards Hermione who, up until this point, had been silent for the past ten minutes.

"And you agree to this?" Ginny asked her. Hermione nodded.

"I don't really have a choice." She muttered.

"Of course you have a choice!" Ginny told her. "He's a Malfoy for Merlin's sake!" Mrs. Weasley sent a furious look in Ginny's direction.

"He needs a place to hide, and Muggle London would make the perfect place." She explained.

"So because of Hermione's preferred living arrangement, you're condemning her to hell for who knows how long?" Ginny asked, her temper still flaring.

"Enough!" Mrs. Weasley snapped. "You may be twenty years old, but I am still your mother and I will not allow you to talk to me like that!"

Ginny shrank back and looked down at her feet.

"Sorry." She muttered. Mrs. Weasley's expression softened.

"Hermione, dear," she said, addressing the bushy-haired woman for the first time in what felt like hours, "You do realize what this entails, correct?" Hermione nodded.

"I think I can handle it." She said. Mrs. Weasley smiled.

"Of course you can." She said. "And remember, he's changed. He's not the same boy you knew at Hogwarts."

Ginny scoffed.

"Yeah right." She muttered, and her mother once again sent her a glare.

"Alright, Alright." Ginny said, throwing her hands up in defeat. "I'll drop it." She walked over and grabbed Hermione by the arm. "We need to get to work anyways. Hermione's already fifteen minutes late, and I've almost completely missed quidditch practice."

"I'm never late!" Hermione exclaimed. Ginny shrugged.

"Yeah, well, there's a first time for everything." She turned towards her mother, who had begun to open her mouth. "Don't worry mum, I won't try to talk her out of it. Once Hermione's made up her mind, no one can change it."

Hermione smiled. Ginny knew her well.

"Goodbye, Mrs. Weasley." She said. "I'll be sure to check in with you often."

And with that, they raised their wands and disapparated in sync with one another.

Sorry this chapter was so short. The others will be longer, I promise.

review please :)