Chapter Text
„It‘s done.“ the mediwitch proclaimed. In the middle of the ritual circle made from lit candles lay a small body. The pain and strain from the ritual had caused them to fall unconscious.
No one rushed to check on the small child lying on the cold ground of the ritual room. Several witches and wizards were witness to the ritual that turned the young man into a frail little boy. Many dispersed soon after the mediwitches proclamation, some perhaps disappointed that there was not more to the punishment.
An auror eventually stepped forward and picked the child up none to carefully and hoisted him over his shoulder. The wizengamot had decided after brief discussion to just send him to the magic children’s home, some suggested to send him to the muggle world, as they thought that this would teach him best to forget his prejudices but quickly discarded this idea, as they all knew the muggle world was no place for any magic kind.
Draco Malfoy’s sentencing had caused quite an uproar in the wizarding community. Many thought the punishment to be to lenient and others even feared letting him go even in the form of a wandless child would be too dangerous. It was too soon after the fall of Voldemort and all still felt the effects of war, the dead had only just been buried. The wizengamot knew that the people needed time to heal and they all needed to move on. They wanted to show that they knew mercy where the dark lords followers did not and so it came to be that Draco Malfoy would get a second chance where he would learn to stay away from dark magic but they assured the people that they would keep a close eye on him.
Draco woke with a shock from cold water hitting his face. He felt panic but dared not scream, you learned to be quiet quickly with danger living in your home. He was lying on an old cot in a dark small chamber where a small window revealed it to be sometime in the evening. An older woman was standing above him with a bucket in her hands. She looked sternly at him and told him to follow her in a harsh tone which made Draco jump up to follow her. They seemed to be in the cellar of an old house, she led him first to a small cabinet.
“Here are the cleaning supplies. You’ll earn your keep. God knows you’ll be a burden to us here. Another mouth to feed is the last thing this place needs, not one like yours for that matter. These poor children living here deserve better than to live with evil like you. “ She gave him a look of disgust. “But I’ve got no choice when the ministry decrees to keep you here. As if you were a child like them. You might look like one, your arm might be bare now, but we all know what was there. Be sure to leave the children at peace. It’s my duty to keep them save and I will not hesitate to curse you if you just so much as utter a bad word in their presence.” She openly glared at him now, her eyes shone of anger and the pain of war. Draco nodded, he felt fear but he was not surprised by her threat and felt it appropriate. He knew the hurt and destruction the death eaters caused, he was on of their side.
She continued to lead him through the house. She showed him the kitchen, where a few house elves where cleaning up after dinner. They greeted Draco kindly and introduced themselves, the matron admonished them when they called him master. “He’s no child. That’s death eater scum, keep an eye on him and report to me immediately if he behaves out of turn.” She quickly made to leave the kitchen, Draco glanced longingly at the leftover food the elves scraped from the plates. He had not had anything to eat that day. No one had thought to give him anything before he was led to the ritual room that morning. She showed him the rest of the house but did not lead him upstairs. “You are forbidden from entering any of the children's’ bedrooms and will only be going upstairs to clean. I don’t want any of the visitors to see or hear you, I lead a respectable home here and will not let you sully it.”
At the end of the tour, she led him back to the chamber in the cellars where he had woken up. He was tired and his stomach growled with hunger but he dared no asked for food.
“I expect you up early tomorrow where you will start with cleaning the floors and preparing the dining room for breakfast. You will eat after the children and staff have finished, in the kitchen. Should you be slacking in your work you will have to skip breakfast. After breakfast I will hand you the list of chores for you to do that day. The children will have schooling in the morning and early afternoon. You will not disturb them and be quiet.” “Yes, ma’am.” Draco replied meekly. The matron left the room and Draco was not surprised when he heard her spell the door locked. He let himself fall on the stiff mattress of the cot. He didn’t look forward to his time here, he hoped he’d managed to not anger the stern matron of the house. But he was glad he was alive and not in Azkaban. He feared the vulnerability his smaller body and lack of wand brought him but he knew he had survived worse.