Rating: M+/NC-17 (including consensual sex, profanity, violent fighting, alcohol consumption, marijuana consumption)

Disclaimer: We do not own Harry Potter or any of the Harry Potter characters, and we make no profit from this story.

A/N: Welcome us to FanFiction as a set of brand new writers!

Chapter 1 ~Fresh Start~

The Burrow

"Hermione dear," Mrs. Weasley called up the stairs, "There are owls for you lot in the kitchen. Please come down and bring the boys with you, won't you?"

"Yes Mrs. Weasley!" Hermione Granger rang out down the uneven staircase.

"Ron, Harry! There are owls for us downstairs," opening Ron's door at the top of the steps. "Come on, your mum is calling for us."

Ron groaned into his pillow as Harry yawned and stretched, reaching for his glasses. Harry got up, grabbed his pillow and threw it at his best friend.

"Get up Ron."

"Arrgh, 5 more minutes!"

"Now, Ronald," Hermione said sternly, "your mum is waiting for us. I'm going to wake up Ginny. If you aren't down stairs in 5 minutes, I won't be responsible for what happens," she said walking out the door.

"Bloody hell! It's summer, the war is over and I can't even sleep for 5 more minutes."

"Get up mate," Harry said pulling up his trousers. "Let's go see what's for breakfast," knowing full well that food would motivate his tired friend.

Ron grumbled, but sat up and started to get dressed. The boys made their way down the staircase as Ginny walked out of her door in front of them.

"This is odd," Hermione said holding a piece of untouched, buttered toast as the others entered the kitchen. Hermione was already reading her letter, "Seems Hogwarts will be reopening, but there is an opportunity for students from our year to study abroad this year. Headmistress McGonagall would like to know if I want to go," she said, looking slightly confused.

"Didn't you guys get free passes from the ministry on your 7th year, you know, because you saved the world?" Ginny asked, surprised.

"We did, but she offered all of us the opportunity to actually take classes and sit our exams at the end of the year. You know, earn them on our own merits, instead of just resting on our war records. She feels it would be an amazing experience," Hermione stated, clearly intrigued by the idea.

"Did you lot get them as well?" she asked, looking at Harry and Ron.

Sure enough, there on the table were letters for Harry and Ron. Both the boys opened their letters. Harry read his letter carefully, but Ron looked up quickly from his and said, "Yeah, but I'm not going," tossing his letter back on the table and dishing bacon on his plate, "Why would I volunteer to take class and sit exams?" he scoffed moving on to the hash browns. "If the ministry is going to give me a pass, I'm going to accept it," he said, shovelling food in his mouth. " 'M gon' take Kigsy up on 'is off, and star' Auror train' next monf'" Ron said, around a mouthful of food.

"Quite," Hermione said, a look of mild disgust on her face.

"Come again?" Ginny asked handing Ron a serviette.

Ron swallowed and wiped his mouth with the proffered napkin, blushing furiously. "I'm going to take Kingsley up on his offer, and start Auror training next month," he finished.

"I had been planning on doing the same as Ron…" Harry conceded, not looking at Hermione.

"Oh come on Harry, it'll be great!" Hermione pleaded. "We only have one more year, and to go to a new place where no one knows you? It would be refreshing! It's only one more year of school; you can start Auror training next summer. You know Kingsley will hold your spot, but a chance to see the world and not on the run, you can't pass this up! Meeting new and interesting wizards and witches, sounds amazing."

"Come on Harry," Hermione urged, "don't you want to have just one last year where you don't have to be 'The Chosen One', where you can just be Harry Potter?"

"How do you know they won't know him at the new school?" Ron asked in confusion.

"Because Voldemort had to control the British Wizarding world first, obviously," Hermione answered exasperated. "He didn't have enough followers to branch past the UK. This school is in California. There's no way he had anyone there yet. It's probably why we're going there and not to Beauxbaton, or Durmstrang. Not that Durmstrang would have taken me," she added as a point of fact.

"Beauxbaton would," Ron said, "Why go all the way to California?"

"Because Ronald, I want to go where no one knows me. They know about the war at Beauxbaton, and I want a fresh start."

"Yeah," Harry said with a far off look, thinking about it. On the one hand, Harry had been excited to move on from school, on to the next chapter of his life with Ron. On the other, he couldn't quite picture what that next chapter should be. Who was he without being "The Chosen One"? What should he be doing, if he's not off fighting the good fight and taking down The Dark Lord? Could he even become an Auror without Hermione's help? Perhaps one more year of school, somewhere where there were no preconceptions about who he was, or what he could do would allow him to figure it all out. Having evaluated the pros and cons, he made his decision.

"Somewhere where no one knows me would be nice, actually. Okay, I'm in. One last year, how about it Ron? 7th year in California?" Harry asked, vaguely excited at the prospect.

Ron looked horrified and scoffed, "No way, I'm done with books and N.E.W.T.s. I am going to do my training and become an Auror."

"Fine," Hermione said in a huff, "Harry and I will go without you. Who else do you think will go Harry? Let's go owl some of the others and see who will be joining us," and with that she turned and went to leave the room.

Suddenly, something crashed into the kitchen through the open window ending up in Mrs. Weasley's pancake batter. Ginny rushed over and retrieved what turned out to be Errol, the family owl.

"Bloody bird," Ginny mumbled, irritated, using a quick "scourigify!" to clean off the owl as well as the letter he was carrying.

"What's this?" Mrs. Weasley asked, gesturing to the letter.

Ginny had gone completely still. "It's a letter from Professor McGonagall," she replied, stunned.

"Well dear, go on and open it already!" Mrs. Weasley admonished, returning to the griddle and her pancakes.

"YES!" Ginny shouted, fist pumping the air, "McGonagall wants me to go to California with them," she stated proudly.

"I beg your pardon?" Mrs. Weasley said, stopping in the middle of flipping a pancake, letting it fall to the floor.

"McGonagall said that because I was taken out of school halfway through term last year, I'm behind all of my classmates." Ginny continued, clearly reading the wariness on her mother's face, "The Western Academy of Magic in California has an accelerated curriculum that would allow me to do my last half of year six simultaneously with year seven," she finished, clearly excited. "Mum, I'd graduate on time!" she said, trying to win her over.

"I don't know Ginevra," Mrs. Weasley said with a frown, and examining Ginny's letter, "Where exactly is this school? Cal-i-for-nia. Is that in Canada? Ginny, I don't know if I want you going abroad for the year, I don't want you too far away."

"But Mum, Voldemort is dead! This is no more dangerous than it was going to Hogwarts last year," Ginny pointed out. "And look, it won't cost any more than my usual school supplies. Please Mum! I want to go with Hermione, and I want to graduate with my friends," she begged.

"We'll talk to your father dear," Mrs. Weasley said to her daughter, "Let's not make any decisions yet."

"Well, no disrespect Mrs. Weasley, but if Harry and I are going, there's no reason Ginny shouldn't," Hermione said reluctantly. "I've always liked the idea of going back to complete my education, and I completely agree that Ginny should finish hers, but… Hogwarts has too many memories. While I love the school, I'm not sure we could walk through those halls again without crying."

"That's a fair point," Mrs. Weasley said thoughtfully looking at her daughter. Ginny's eyes started glistening as she thought of the friends and family she lost at the beloved school. "Ok Ginny dear, if you really want to go… I'll talk to your father, I'm sure it will be fine."

"Thank you Mum," she cried, as the tears overtook her, hugging her mother tight. "I just… I don't know what I would do if I came across any of their ghosts, or walked past where they fell. It would be too hard to be there, especially if I was behind all of my friends."

"Mental," Ron whispered, "to think of going across the world just to go to school."

"I kind of like that idea actually," Harry said to his friend. "Not being known, one year where I can just be me," he said and followed Hermione and Ginny back upstairs.

Same Day - Malfoy Manor

Draco Malfoy was opening a letter that morning, sitting in the kitchen while he ate his breakfast. He tended to avoid the main living areas of the manor these days, preferring to eat in the kitchens, or his quarters in the south wing. The common areas of the manor that were used for the Dark Lord's purposes were all areas that were tainted in his opinion. Mind you, there wasn't much of the world that hadn't been tainted by that megalomaniac, but damned if he'd eat his breakfast where he knew firsthand people had been tortured, or killed. He almost wished they could level the place and start from scratch. Erase all the memories; rebuild the noble House of Malfoy.

His life had taken a very interesting turn in the last few years. No longer was he the son of a respected pureblood family, now he was the son of a known former supporter of Lord Voldemort. Not only was he the son, but he was also the youngest Death Eater to be accepted by the Dark Lord. Well, except for Regulus Black, but he was long dead so he didn't count anymore in his mind. He had only been sixteen when he was forced to take the mark. Sixteen. Voldemort had threatened his family, what was he supposed to do? He did what any petrified, slightly arrogant, but loving son would do; he protected his mother from the mad man by becoming one of his minions. Sure, there'd been the seductive idea of power, but he could never have known the full weight of the decision he had made that day. He wouldn't take it back, because it had saved his mother, but he was working on trying to forgive the Draco Malfoy that had voluntarily taken the Dark Mark.

He scratched the mark on his left arm involuntarily, wishing he could burn it, rip the skin, cut off his arm and walk around with muscle and sinew hanging out instead. Anything was better than what was there. He loathed that mark, ashamed that he once wanted it, wanted it branded on him, to feel superior to those supposed filthy mud… muggleborns. Now that he had it, he was stuck, stuck with a reminder of his mistaken lust for power. Be careful what you wish for, he thought as his eyes flicked down to the pale wrist of his left arm. The mark was faded because the Dark Lord was dead, but it would always be there, a reminder of his stupidity.

"Draco, darling, what is that you're reading?" Narcissa Malfoy asked her son as she walked into the kitchen with a bouquet of flowers from the garden.

"Hogwarts letter. I'm to attend school in California for my last year," Draco said taking a sip of his tea.

"Don't be silly darling," Narcissa laughed, handing the flowers to her elf and sitting next to her son as another elf brought her breakfast over. "California? Why would you go to California?" she asked.

"Hogwarts is allowing our year to study abroad in California to finish their last year. McGonagall has suggested that I go along."

"No." Narcissa said with finality, "No, you will not go to California, I forbid it. It's too far away. If you have to go elsewhere, you'll go to Durmstrang."

"No mum, I can't," Draco said with a sigh. He'd known his mother would take the news badly, "It was part of my plea agreement that I would finish school under McGonagall. If she's decided that California is the best place for me, well… It's her choice where I go, not ours. You know that Durmstrang was never an option," he said gently. "The way they treat the Dark Arts, the ministry would rather send me to Azkaban. I'm not even allowed to come back for the holidays according to this. I'm to stay at the school, or board with another wizarding family for the Christmas and Easter holidays."

"But, that's preposterous," Narcissa raged, tears in her eyes. "They can't send you overseas for an entire year without letting you come home! They may as well send you to Azkaban, at least I would be able to visit you there. They know I'm not allowed to leave the country for 5 years."

Draco stood and hugged his mother, "It's ok Mum, it's just one year. I will still have at least one friend coming with me. Theo said he would be coming back this year. I'll write you every week, it'll go by quickly ok? Don't cry."

"This is punishment for your father!" she seethed.

"No, this is punishment for me," he stated simply looking at his mother. His silver eyes shiny with unshed tears. "This is my punishment for my stupidity and I know that now, don't fret Mum, it won't be too long. Now, I am going to Theo's to see if he knows of anyone else who will be returning to finish their last year. I don't believe anyone else is coming, but you never know. I'll be home later." He gave his mother a kiss on the cheek, walked out the back door and past the anti-apparition wards where he turned and disapparated.

Draco found himself in the gardens outside of Nott Manor. He walked through the gate and up to the door where he was greeted by Daisy, the Nott family elf.

"Good morning Mr. Draco," the elf greeted him, "Master Teddy is in the dining room having breakfast, would you like me to bring you a plate?"

"No, thank you Daisy, I ate at home, but I would like a cup of tea."

"Of course, Mr. Draco, right away," and the elf closed the door behind Draco and disappeared with a pop! His tea was waiting for him when he went into the dining room to greet his best friend.

"Morning wanker, did you get your letter?" Draco said, stirring some sugar into his tea.

"Yeah, I got it just before you graced me with your presence," Theo said after he swallowed his mouthful.

"What do you think? You think anyone else will be coming along to California?"

"Doubtful. Daphne and Astoria are both getting married soon. Their parents got them a couple of blokes from Rome I think, or Greece… one of the two. Either way, they're from far enough away that they don't know what's been going on here. Greg can barely spell his name let alone California and Millicent has fled the country. Maybe Pansy? I haven't spoken to her yet."

"So you think it will just be the two of us then?"

"Probably… Pansy may come though, otherwise she will be sitting here waiting for her parents to find her a husband."

"Great," Draco said, still stirring his tea, "I wonder who else is coming, you know, from other houses."

"Well I'm sure Granger, the swot, will be coming. You know she was going to finish her last year. There is no way she would miss a chance to stick her nose in a book and show everyone up on exams," Theo laughed and Draco gave him a half smile. "I don't know many of the other kids from the other houses, so not sure who else will be there. I don't think many will come. I think most are just ready to move on from school, you know?"

"Yeah, probably," Draco said, deep in thought. "Do you think Potter will come?" Draco asked nonchalantly. In fact, Draco was most interested in The Chosen Prat staying home. If he had to go abroad he didn't want a constant reminder of the war and his monumental cockup. The Dark Mark was enough of a reminder, thank you very much

"Wouldn't you?" Theo asked. "The chance to go abroad, to live your life without everyone knowing who you are, and that you're some child prodigy destined to defeat the darkest wizard that's ever lived?"

Draco sighed, resigned, "Great, just great." He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "Mother is upset that we can't come home for visits. She can't leave the country and father is in Azkaban, she'll have no one to take care of her," he said, changing the topic.

"Your mother is strong, she'll be fine."

"I hope so."