Reckless Abandon (Drarry)

Chapter 17

Exclusive!

Draco Malfoy: His Past, Present and Dreams of the Future

Former Death Eater Tells All!

Harry almost fell over when he read the headline of the Prophet as he walked to work. He had never subscribed to the damn paper, resenting how often they still mentioned him, making up stories if need be. It felt like committing a crime to pull money out of his pocket to actually buy a copy.

He wasn't the only one. Everywhere he looked, it seemed like every adult was avidly reading the article.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck...

What would Draco say about their history together? Would he mention dating? Would he talk about his new business?

Not caring that he'd be late for work, Harry detoured into a park and sat on a bench, needing to be on his own to absorb this. Taking a deep breath, Harry started reading.

...

Draco Malfoy, 28, is a man with a plan. After spending a decade living and working with muggles, he is ready to come back to the wizarding world.

But he has learned a lot from his self-imposed exile. "I grew up with a very narrow view on the world. Traveling and needing to adapt to a wide variety of situations opened my eyes. I met people from all walks of life, and actually listened to what they had to say."

Malfoy is the only child of Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa (Black) Malfoy, active Death Eaters in both wizarding wars. Draco had little choice but to follow in their footsteps as a teenager. But by the end of the war, even his parents were disillusioned by the Dark Lord, as they called Voldemort.

"My parents left during the middle of the Battle at Hogwarts. I think they saw how close I had come to being killed," Draco said, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "My mother and I would probably be in Azkaban if it wasn't for the testimony of some members of the other side. I am so grateful for that."

Unfortunately, his father went to the wizard prison and died there three years later. His mother, like many Death Eaters who survived the war, left the country to live abroad.

"Despite everything, I miss my parents. My father never saw me as an adult. I hope he would be proud of me now," Draco adds. "I have kept in touch with my mother with letters, and visited her when I could afford it."

Once among our wealthiest families, the post war reclamation payments forced his family to sell the manor that had been in his family for generations and left them penniless. Draco escaped to work in the muggle world, where he wasn't recognized.

"I was completely helpless at first, dealing with their technology," Draco chuckles, running a hand through his hair. "The telephone would ring at work, and all the muggles would stare at me, urging me to pick up the receiver, and I'd be giving them back a blank look. They must have thought I was a complete idiot."

This open, self-deprecating Draco Malfoy of today is much different than Draco of his youth. "It's embarrassing now to think back on how awful I was then. I was racist against anyone who wasn't Pureblood, and took great pleasure in bullying others. It was more than just being a Slytherin. I thought my actions were justified."

When asked what caused him to change, Draco takes a minute to consider it. "Losing everything, living paycheque to paycheque, taking horrible jobs just to survive. The first couple years were awful. Then I met compassionate people who helped pull me out of the muck. I was bitter and lost, but I eventually started taking a good look at how the world really was. My eyes were fully open for the first time."