There are a lot of things that can cause a person to find forgiveness. It may be a revelation found in themselves - a discovery of the ugliest and most brutal expeditions of their past, as well as the ability to understand the varying contrasts of right and wrong and the endless conflict between each. It is a revelation which entails finding the true definition of good, and what it really means to be just that. Or it may be a revelation found in others - an unearthing of the fact that being a bad person cannot be solely exhibited through a muddled childhood, and that beyond the external affairs of a chaotic soul, lay a knotted sense of morals and values warped not by nature, but by nurture.
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For Hermione Granger, it was found in the latter of the two.
And for Draco Malfoy, it was found in the former.
For her, forgiveness rests in the ability to be empathetic, and the ability to feel, to breathe, and live in another person’s skin knowing that there was a justifiable reason behind their actions, and being able to understand, not pity. In her eyes, forgiveness is tied up in asking, “why did you?”, rather than, “why didn’t you?”, and being comfortable in believing that there was no other choice.
For him, forgiveness relies on the power of admittance, honesty, and sincerity. It is the ability to apologize without hesitance or stubborn pride. It is the ability to look back and know, with all of his being, that he had been wrong. In his eyes, forgiveness is about shaking faded prejudices and hatred from his bones and being able to say that they had been there, but they were no longer. It is saying, “it was me”, rather than, “it was them”.
So, when Hermione’s eyes meet his own and asks him if he really is sorry after all this time, he replies with the most honest thing he can say.
“I am, Granger. More than you could ever know."
[SHOULD I WRITE THIS AS A ONE-SHOT? HELP]
