Choices

Seventeenth Birthday

That June day, Draco woke up alone.

Knowing the day, he could very well think why, but it still felt strange to not see their faces first thing in the morning. He supposed it would give him time.

Getting up, he took a deep breath before crouching and taking a box from under the bed.

When they arrived, he and Ginny agreed to hide their wands until their seventeenth birthday so they wouldn't be tempted to use magic, almost a year spent like a muggle and so much had changed since then. He wasn't the same person he was when the wand choose him, did it still belong to him or would his magic refuse him now?

He didn't know why he was suddenly so hesitant, he'd waited for that moment for so long, feeling he was missing an important part of him hiding in that familiar weight of the wood, wanted to feel the tangible proof of his heritage.

And now he was afraid of what he would find.

Some wands were temperamental, would his reject him now?

Just staring at the box isn't going to answer that, he forced himself into action, opening it for the first time since.

The two wands looked just the same as when they were put there, the dark wood made both almost disappear in the shadows, he wasn't sure what he had expected but there was something calming about their appearances so he reached for his.

The effect was immediate and overwhelming, holding his wand again just felt like the right thing, he could feel the power that connected them so plainly he wondered why he ever doubted it.

It was like being greeted by your oldest friend after a long time.

The magic within him was something no one could take from him and it was where he belonged in the deepest part of him.

Draco smiled.

"Thank you"

After putting away Ginny's wand he walked towards the door and heard giggles from the outside. Smiling he wondered what the trouble duo was doing on the other side.

"Good morning," he said, entering the living room.

"Morning" Ginny answered back, head buried in a newspaper, not that it helped her in any way as Harry kept giggling and her grip on the paper was too strong to let it be legible.

"You two are shite at pretending," he told them.

"Boo!" Harry screamed from the couch raising his arms.

Ginny gave up the pretense then and laughing she turned to Harry "It's happy birthday, boo is for Halloween"

Draco smiled and moved towards them.

"Happy?" Harry asked, then he looked back at Draco and screamed "Happy! Happy!"

Taking Harry in her arms she got up, now in front of Draco she said "Guess we need to get better at surprises," she looked into his eyes "Happy Birthday Malfoy!"

"Thank you, Weasley," he said, truly sincere.

There were no lavish parties or expensive gifts, he missed what money could give him, but standing with them in that tiny flat felt right, just as his connection to his wand, he wanted to be with them.

It felt like home.

Looking at Ginny, he leaned towards her without realizing and his stomach did a flip, things were... strange since the day he got his job, none of his actions made sense when she was close and he wasn't always sure what to do about it.