After the war, Draco wanted his parents to know the truth. The truth about Hermione Granger, the snarky mudblood who Lucius had marked as an enemy to the Malfoy family. The truth was, Draco was in love with her, and had been for a long time. How couldn't he love her? She was downright beautiful to start with, but she was also intelligent, and brave, and true to what she believed, and everything Draco could never be. His feelings for her were a concoction of love and jealousy, but they were strong, dear god they were strong.

Draco told his parents at a silent dinner table. The table had been silent for so long, as Narcissa's fear of Lucius had grown stronger. He'd hit her for the first time a few years ago, when Draco was 14. He constantly feared he was next, and tried his best to stay out of Lucius' way.

"I love Hermione Granger." Draco said, staring at his plate, his grey eyes not daring to dart upwards. He could feel his mother looking at him, and then her hand slipping onto his from under the table where Lucius could not see.

He heard the scratch of Lucius' chair as he pulled it back. He heard the mutters masked under his breath, which was stained with the stench of all of his wrongdoings. He heard the footsteps stomp to the fireplace and back. He heard his yell.

"LUCIUS! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Narcissa screeched. Draco let his eyes wander and he saw his mother's arms above his tousled hair. He had never heard his mother speak so loudly. "If you lay a finger on my son, I will take him as far away from you as possible." Her voice had gone quiet again, but was still stern.

"Narcissa, are you forgetting..." Lucius sounded hysterical, a deranged chuckle in his voice, a look in his eyes that matched the state of his hair, "That Draco is also my son? I think you will find that it is I who named him!"

"I think you will find that it does not matter in the slightest if he is your son, if you are not his father."

"Of course I'm his father-"

"What kind of father lets a young boy see violence and destruction on a day to day basis, and then teaches him that this is the way to be? You're disgusting, Lucius, and I can't stand to be near you any longer." Narcissa stepped closer to look Lucius in the eye. "You are not the man I fell in love with. And you haven't been for a long time." She paused, but did not take her eyes away. "Come, Draco."

Mother and son walked out the door together. As he turned back, Draco saw his father shriek in fury as he brought the weapon in his hand down onto a picture of Draco on the mantelpiece.

"Don't worry, Draco. We're free."