Hello! I know that I tried to write this story before, but I didn't really like the way it was going. That's why it's been so long; I was getting it all straight and the way I want it in my head. This time should be a whole lot better! I hope you enjoy it!

Prologue

A woman strode into the court room with her head held high. She crossed the chamber and gracefully sat in the chair that sat in the exact center of the room so the eyes of every person in the room were fixed on the occupier. As she settled herself in the chair, the chains on the arms clanked menacingly but made no move to bind her to the chair. Slowly, the woman's hazel eyes moved up to lock gazes with the newly elected Minister of Magic.

"Destiny Allie McLaren," he began with authority positively dripping from every syllable. "You have been summoned here to answer for crimes committed during the recent Wizarding War."

"Is this really necessary, Kingsly?!" Narcissa Malfoy screamed from the front row of the public seating.

Destiny turned her gaze to Mrs. Malfoy and bade with her eyes to say nothing further. Turning her expressionless gaze back to Kingsly, Destiny said in a cold voice, "Charges, if you please, Minister."

"The charges are," Kingsly continued, lowering his eyes to a piece of parchment before him, "conspiring to kill Albus Dumbledore, willful use of the Unforgivable Curses, and pledging services to Voldemort."

The members of the council as well as the general public began to whisper following the charges. Finally, Kingsly raised a hand to quiet them. "Miss McLaren, do you understand the charges as they have been presented against you?"

Still staring Kingsly straight in the eyes, Destiny scoffed. "Oh, believe me Minister; I understand perfectly the way the charges have been presented against me, but I do not understand how that is enough to condemn me."

"Would you please explain?" Kingsly prompted.

"Well," Destiny began, "in your eyes, I have tried to kill Professor Dumbledore, I have cursed and controlled people, maybe even killed, while in my right mind, and simply because I have associated with Voldemort I have an evil soul. Is that correct?"

"I believe that is our way of thinking," Kingsly said shortly.

Destiny scoffed again. "You all think you survived the horrors of war…you have no idea, any of you! Some of you fought the Battle of Hogwarts, some of you fought to regain control of the Ministry, and some of you think you won just by hiding and avoiding it all. You somehow think that that's enough to know how horrible this war was, and you think it's enough to take revenge on those that you saw as the enemy. Let me be the first to tell you, you know nothing of the true evil behind this war! If you knew half of what people like me went through just to survive let alone protect others…perhaps you would not be so quick to judge who is evil and who is not."

The courtroom was silent for a moment, even a pin wouldn't have dared to interrupt. Finally, Kingsly spoke. "Would you be perhaps inclined, Miss McLaren, to share with us your story so we could better judge you?"

"Very well," Destiny replied. "In order for you all to truly understand, I will deliver the information in exactly the same order and manner that I did." She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. "I suppose I should begin with the day when all of this began: the day I met him."

"'Him'?" Kingsly repeated.

"Yes, Minister, him. This story began on the day that I met the most important person in my life…the man who would both save and condemn me at the same time. My story begins with the day that I met Draco Malfoy.