A/N: Welcome to my new story, my first attempt at a multi-chapter Hermione and Lucius. This is kind of an experiment, a story interspersed with newspaper articles, so it may seem 'jumpy' for lack of a better word, but from what I've written so far it seems to be working.

Hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think.

The Final Sentence.

14/01/1999

Reporter: Holly Blake.

Yesterday afternoon the final sentence was handed down to the last Death Eater to stand trial, former Hogwarts Governor Lucius Malfoy, marking the official end of the Second Wizarding War and 684 days of terror.

In a marked change from the end of the First Wizarding War, every member of the Death Eaters has had extensive trials to determine their guilt and what the best sentence should be. The trials have also given certain Death Eaters, most notably Draco Malfoy, the opportunity to explain their turbulent experiences within the deadly hate group. This, coupled with the testimonies of the 'Golden Trio'; Harry Potter; Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, has resulted in the young Malfoy escaping a prison sentence due to mitigating circumstances.

When it comes to the sentence of Lucius Malfoy, it was decided that the information he has presented to the Ministry since the end of the war eight month ago, and despite being broken out of Azkaban in '97, the Wizengamot have handed down a community service and hefty (and undisclosed) fine to the disgraced wizard. This sentence – which some will undoubtedly still find too lenient – is vastly different to the sentence, or rather lack thereof, he received at the end of the First War, where he claimed to be under the Imperius Curse and walked away a free man. While some will believe that Malfoy's reduced sentence is a result of the wizards' wealth, we at the Prophet have been assured by the interim Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt, that not a single sentence has been influenced by the wealth of those on trial.

"Upon the arrest of all the Death Eaters, the Ministry has worked closely with the Goblins of Gringotts to ensure that no one has been able influence the results of the trials through bribery. We hope this marks the first step in the Ministry's bid to become more transparent as we rebuild our society. It is our hope that with everyone working together, we can strengthen the foundations of our world and close the gaps in our society that have allowed hatred to grow, ensuring that no-one can hurt us to such an extent again."

Rebuilding has already started in Diagon Alley and Hogwarts, which the new Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall hopes to have completed in time for the new school year in September.

Hermione stood with the other Weasley's, waiting for Ron to reach her to say goodbye before he set out on a world tour on his own. It had been eight months since the end of the war and life seemed to be back to normal; they had said their goodbyes to loved ones and had started to move on and rebuild. The towers of Hogwarts had been rebuilt and the halls of the Ministry were being refurbished and brought into a more modern world in it's attempt to separate itself from it's old, bigoted and tarnished past.

When Ron finally reached Hermione, he smiled sadly before taking her hand and pulling her away from the rest of his family, wanting his goodbye to be private, away from the prying eyes and listening ears of his brothers. "I know that we wanted to give us a try now that everything's over, but I just feel like I have to do this you know? I feel like there is so much more out there to see and experience," Ron told her holding both her hands and looking straight into her eyes. "I don't want to miss out on anything."

"No, it's fine," Hermione told him with a small smile. "I understand, it's something that you feel you need to do, I accept that," she said, her smile wavering as she thought of all she was potentially giving up by letting Ron go.

"Thank you so much Hermione," Ron told her pulling her into a hug, the two holding one another for a couple of minutes, savouring the feel of each other for as long as they could. "But you know I'm going to come back, I won't be away for long just a couple of months," he told her when they finally pulled away from each other. "And when I come back, we can give it a proper chance, you know" he suggested with a hopeful smile.

"Yeah, when you get back," Hermione said with a sad smile, leaning in to give Ron a final kiss before he turned and headed off for his own adventure, never looking back as Hermione looked after him.

Seven months had passed since Ron's departure and there was still no indication that he would be returning as soon as he suggested. For the first couple of weeks he kept in touch with everyone, letting them all know where he was and what he was doing, but as time went on his letters became vaguer and vaguer before they eventually stopped altogether. In an attempt to distract herself from her absent friend, Hermione decided that her time and energy would be better served in helping with the final touches in Hogwarts restoration. Standing in the Clock Tower courtyard, Hermione looked up at the restored structure and found that she no longer felt like the castle was her home away from home, her experience's during her year on the run obviously affecting her more than she initially thought.

"Feels different, doesn't it?" a male voice said from just behind Hermione, startling her slightly. Spinning around Hermione was surprised to find none other than Lucius Malfoy kneeling in the dirt and rebuilding the walls of the courtyard – by hand. "You think some places will always bring you comfort, you never expect them to become physical manifestations of your pain and struggle," Lucius remarked thoughtfully before returning his attention to the wall.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked him as she cautiously approached him, her hand slowly moving to rest on the pocket that held her wand, old war habits still at the forefront in her mind.

"This is my community service, or at least a part of it," Lucius replied as he pulled some bricks closer to him.

"What, rebuilding the world you wanted to tear down," Hermione said with an amused laugh as she moved around to the other side of the wall that was being built. When Hermione saw the look on Lucius face at her throw-away comment, the laughter in her voice died instantly. He looked so torn and hurt, like he was being told all his fears and failings one after the other. She was surprised by how sad it made her feel. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to sound so blasé," Hermione apologised kneeling down so she was on the same level as Lucius.

"Don't be," Lucius told her looking up into Hermione's eyes. "You were right on the money. I nearly destroyed everything that I loved, I lost my wife and my son despises me. I want to do everything I can to try and fix my mistakes," Lucius told her before he starting building again.

"I'm sorry about your wife," Hermione told him, not really knowing what else she could say to him. "Do you want some help with the wall?" she asked him, reaching over and lifting a brick.

"Thank you," Lucius said softly, surprised that Hermione wanted to be anywhere near him, let alone help him. But he knew better than to question it, with all his former friends and associates either in Azkaban or dead, he couldn't afford to be picky about who wanted to be around him. And as the two fell into easy conversation about the changes the Ministry were introducing, he found himself not only enjoying the company, but also – surprisingly – his community service, something he thought would never happen.