Title: My redemption, My Salvation (very tentative title)

I remember the day it began, the day my life changed beyond recognition forever. When I think of what could have been I shudder. It would have been a cold, dark and lonely existence; I know because I've seen it, I've seen it all. I was never one to believe in fate before that day; after all a Malfoy’s future was determined for them.

Let me start at the beginning and go from there, as that is a sensible place to start this story.

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My redemption began in the summer before my first year at Hogwarts. I was in the robe makers having my school robes fitted when in walked another boy. A small skinny kid with sellotaped glasses and messy black hair, another Hogwarts student I supposed. I didn’t have a clue who he was if I had I wouldn’t have spoken to him at all. He caught my attention but I didn’t let that show. He intrigued me, captivated me, possessed me; but father would be back soon so I adopted my usual attitude, stuck up and snobby. After all I was a rich spoilt brat.

I found that he too was going to Hogwarts, so I told him all about how I knew I’d be in Slytherin, (how wrong I was), mocking other houses and finally seeing Hagrid, insulting non-humans and non pure blood families. At that point in time I still believed it all. Father still held me in his control then. I believed what I was told to. Yet still this boy was kind even if it was clear I’d angered him. If I’d known then who he was I’d never of talked to him and my life would be finished by now.

In the weeks before I started school, I couldn’t forget the messy raven-haired boy I’d met in Diagon Alley. At night when I slept messy black hair and green eyes invaded my dreams. Something in me hoped he would be placed in Slytherin, but he seemed more the Gryffindor type to me. Pity, I thought at the time Gryffindors and Slytherins are rivals. If he ends up in Gryffindor I’ll have a tradition to uphold. It was then a thought hit me! Why did I want to be in Slytherin?? I knew the answer to that, because father told me I wanted to be in Slytherin. This thought scared me more than I liked so I put it out of my mind, but still I couldn’t forget that boy I’d met.

We met again on the train going to Hogwarts and I nearly screwed up badly, I didn’t know he was the famous Harry Potter I was supposed to despise and when I found him he was with Ron Weasley who’s family my father hates so I was supposed to hate too. I had two of my “friends” with me in the shape of Crabbe and Goyle how would report anything unbefitting the behaviour to my father. This would include being friendly to inferiors like mudblood’s, squibs basically any wizard who was non-pureblood.

Again I let my father’s opinions be my own. After all Harry Potter was meant to be the antithesis of all my family believed in, of all we stood for. I offered him my hand telling him I could help him tell the “wrong sort” when it came to wizarding families and who to make friends with indicating Ron Weasley’s family whom I was told to hate, as they were poor. That could have cost me dearly as he had become good friends with Ron on that journey and became cool towards. I then decided to be nasty as I could, and threatened him and tried to steal what food he had left, I would have done it too if Ron’s rat hadn’t latched onto Goyle’s finger. We left not soon after but I couldn’t help but feel terrible for the way I’d treated those two. Glad Goyle got his just deserts and I was confused, so confused. Things should have been the other way round: pleased that I had upset Potter and Weasley and feeling terrible for Goyle being bitten. What was wrong with me? Feeling sorry for anyone! I was a Malfoy; I was going to be a Slytherin and Slytherins Care only for themselves!

Once we had left the compartment I became lost within my thoughts. Again the question as to why I wanted to be in Slytherin kept nagging at a corner of my mind and to tell you the truth I didn’t know why anymore and then a little voice right at the back of my mind piped up
“Maybe you don’t want to be in Slytherin at all” The reality hit me hard, if I hadn’t have already bee sat down my knees would have given way. “I’m a Malfoy. Every Malfoy wants to be a Slytherin.” I told myself before I closed my eyes and slept away the rest of the trip to school. Again my dreams were filled with messy black hair and mesmerizing green eyes

I was awoken but my two bodyguards and once off the train we were called over to Hagrid to complete the customary first year boat ride to the castle.
“Honestly, just look at the great Oaf. He just shouldn’t be allowed near us, I’m going to write to my father about him” I commented to Crabbe and Goyle but my words lacked conviction. This surprised me and lucky for me the other two were too stupid to pick up on it. I then turned and found I was being pinned by two death glares. I was stood right in front of Harry and Ron and both looked mad as hell but something in me just couldn’t glare back so I smirked and turned away. In the boat taking us to the castle I started to think again and the voice in the back of once again said “Maybe you don’t want to be in Slytherin at all” only this time it was much louder.

Then, at the sorting ceremony, it happened. When I was called up, I waited for the inevitable cry “SLYTHERIN” but it never came. Not that I ever truly wanted it to, I knew that now, I wanted to be in Slytherin because I was told I wanted to be in Slytherin. And I also what became of most Slytherin and it was horrible.

“Ah, another Malfoy heir I see” I heard muttered in my ear. “So unlike the others I’ve met. Oh don’t get me wrong you used to be, up until really recently. But now no longer” I remember being torn, part of me wanted to be in Slytherin because otherwise father would be livid but most of me didn’t want to go in that house. “You no longer have the craftiness, evil cunning or maliciousness. No can’t possible put you in Slytherin instead you’ll be…GRYFFINDOR”.

The last was shouted out and the hall went silent then, as I went to take a seat at the house table as if they didn’t know what to think. I was in shock and scared of what would happen when my father found out, but when I reached the table I was welcomed, admittedly with a slight sense of scepticism but I was welcomed all the same. Then it was Harry’s turn and he too became a Gryffindor.

What happened next I truly never expected. Potter sat down next to me and I apologized.

“Look Potter, this started out badly, can we please try again? To be friends that is” He looked me straight with those eyes then, they eyes that haunted my dreams. I felt like he could see straight through me, right to my very soul.

“I don’t really see why I should. You insulted me and my friends” My heart sank at this “But OK lets give it a go, your on your second chance though” I understood his point of view Ron must have told him of my family history, my shameful family history. I offer him my hand again, and he takes it this time, I feel something pass between him and me like an electric current. From that moment I know that I’m not myself anymore and I’m glad for the first time I really saw who I was and I hated it. Also I would have hated even more what I would have become.

I turn then, and offer my hand to Ron, but he refused it still and looked both wary and afraid. The insults I laid on him on the train were still fresh in his mind, and he was not quick to forget. This hurt but I knew I’d work around it; all my old relationships were gone and I didn’t want them anyway. They were forged out of need, not out of true friendship at all. Crabbe and Goyle were the only “friends” I went with and they were both in Slytherin. And no Slytherin would tolerate a Gryffindor friend. I detested them anyway.

“Look Malfoy Harry here may be prepared to forgive and forget but I’m not. You should be in Slytherin where you belong” As he was saying that he had gradually gotten redder and redder and looked about ready to kill so I just nodded and turned my attention to the teachers table.

Once the feast was over, we were taken to our new house dorms and it hit me full force. I was in the house I had been raised to hate, that was meant to be inferior. I was supposed to be a Slytherin. I didn’t understand why I wasn’t but I didn’t care all of a sudden I was intensely proud of being a Gryffindor.

That night, I had a dream

"Move along now," a voice said, "The Sorting Ceremony's about to
Start."
We formed a line and trooped into the great hall in a two rows. The whole school was assembled as we walked in and the sorting hat was placed on a stool in front of us. The hat starts to sing:

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The school applauded the hat and then Professor McGonagall stood up and started to read out names from a scroll. Once my name was called I swaggered up to the stool and barely had the hat touched my head when it screamed “SLYTHERIN” and I went to join Crabbe and Goyle with a self satisfied smirk on my face.
Then I heard it “Potter, Harry” and a ripple went through the Hall. I watched with detached interest, hoping that the hat would shout “SLYTHERIN!” I could see the boy mouthing the words not Slytherin, not Slytherin and at last the hat shouted out, “GRYFFINDOR”. I watched as he went to join the Gryffindor table, to be greeted with great warmth I had not received from my own house. That moment I felt hate so deep it overtook me, and I vowed to make his life, and that of his friends as miserable I could while he was at school.

After the feast we were led away down to the dungeons to our dorms. The room we entered is low, long and cold with green lights hanging from the ceiling. I did not like this place but from there we were directed to our dorm rooms. In the room marked 1st years, I saw five beds surrounded by green and silver drapes. On the chair next to the bed next to which my trunk was stowed was my new uniform in the colours of Slytherin bearing the crest of the serpent.

I woke up with a start and looked around me, tense and unsure of where I was. All around was scarlet and gold, and the uniform on the chair beside my bed had the scarlet and gold colours of Gryffindor on it not the silver and green of Slytherin. It was just a dream after all. Or was it?

When breakfast arrived the next day, the final major event that changed my life happened. I was sat chatting nervously with my Harry and a couple of our other new room mates about what we thought lessons were going to be like, what our first impressions of the school were, and what our first impressions of the professors were, when professor McGonagall came over to me and asked me to go with her immediately to the headmasters office. I feared that there was some mistake after all, and I was to be transferred into Slytherin. Just the thought of that disgusted me.

As we reached a stone gargoyle, she looked down and gave me what seemed to be a reassuring smile. She uttered a password, and then we ascend a winding spiral staircase. As we raise so did my nerves. Once at the top, we passed through a door and into a spacious circular room with a large desk and many other interesting things like shelves with many whirring silver instruments. The sorting hat sat on a shelf behind the headmaster. Behind the desk sits the head master and in a chair facing him:
“Father”