After All TBGC
Updated:
Summer 7: Part D
“But, Mother,
I want to go.”
“I forbid
it.”
“Father would
have let me. He understands,
he…”
“Your father
is in Azkaban, Draco, and I am the head of this
household until he returns. You
will do as I say and you will respect my decision on the matter.”
“How can I
possible respect your decision when I don’t even respect you.” Draco didn’t even see the hand fly, just felt the
palm of his mother’s hand strike across his face with a sickening crack.
“Go to your
room and do not come out until I personally retrieve you.”
He turned around
and stormed out, seething. How dare
she treat him like some common, ill-bred half blood! It was unthinkable. Slamming his door, he threw himself on
his bed and stared at the ceiling.
He only wanted to go to Hogwarts, he only
wanted to see Harry before…
Lifting up his arm,
he looked at the inside of it, bare and smooth. It wouldn’t be for long. Voldemort had
already sent word to his mother that he was to be initiated in his
father’s place. ‘Before
the summer was out’, that was all the letter had said about when.
His mother had
always been so cold to him, but after that letter it was all he could do to get
any privacy. She insisted that they
eat together, take walks in the gardens together. She wanted to talk to him. It was infuriating. The woman had been a non-entity his
entire life and now that he was fifteen she was suddenly his mother.
He reached up and
put his fingers on his cheek. It
hadn’t even been a very hard slap, but the memory of her hand on his face
left unfamiliar and unwanted tingles flitting across his face. She’d hardly ever paid him
attention, let alone slapped him.
Was this how Harry had felt when Snape slapped
him?
Turning onto his
side, Draco looked at the wall and chewed on the
inside of his cheek. He
wasn’t going to just sit here and do nothing for the next two
months. He had to see Harry at
least once before term started, but his mother was unlikely to relent unless
she had no other option.
He sat up as an
idea struck him. Yes, that was it,
give her no other option, make it so that she
couldn’t refuse the request to send him to Hogwarts. A soft knock at his door jarred him from
his thoughts and he looked up to see his mother step in.
“Draco?”
Stubbornly, he
turned so that his back was to her and didn’t answer. She sighed heavily, but did not
retreat. “I am sorry that I
struck you, but I…” she faltered and Draco
found himself wanting to listen, despite himself. “I know that I have been…
otherwise occupied throughout the years, but with Lucius
gone and now it is my duty to protect you.
You are my son.”
“You’ve
never acted like it.” He bit
his lip hard. He hadn’t
actually meant to say that.
His mother took
another deep breath, “I have always had your best interest in mind, I’ve just never been good at expressing it. My abilities with children are rather
limited. I don’t have a great
deal of patience, nor can I abide loud noises, but I have always seen that you
had what you needed…”
“Except
a mother.” He hadn’t meant to say that
either, but it was true. Sure,
he’d always worn the latest fashions, ate the best foods, had the most
superior tutors, and anything he asked for was his, but the only time she had
ever wanted to do anything with him was when she had shopping to do and
didn’t want to go alone. If
his father had agreed to go with her, she probably would have left Draco home with a house elf to watch over him.
She took a step
towards him, but apparently thought better of it and stepped back again. “I know why you want to go to
Hogwarts.”
Draco’s spine stiffened slightly. How could she know? How could she possibly?
“You want to
continue with your father’s plan of getting into Potter’s good
graces. However, the boy is
carefully guarded now and I will not have you putting yourself into even
further danger. If the Dark Lord
asks, at least at this moment you can say that you aren’t his
friend. If that changes he may ask
you to risk your freedom or even your life. I won’t let that happen if I can
help it.”
With a sigh, Draco finally turned around, facing his mother fully and
raised his chin. “Well, then,
you’re too late, aren’t you?”
“What?”
“He’s
more than my friend, mother, and I will go to Hogwarts this summer, with or
without your approval.”
Before she could
say anything, he stormed past her, leaving her gaping in the doorway to his
room while he all but ran to his father’s study. In truth, he couldn’t go anywhere
unless she said he could. If she
willed it, the manor would refuse to let him out the front door, she could
close the floo line, she could instruct the owls not
to deliver anything that didn’t come directly from her.
Shutting and
locking the door behind him, he looked around the study, taking large, deep
breaths to steady himself. He could
do this. He could. Grabbing parchment from his
father’s desk, he wrote quickly and attached the letter to the dark owl
sitting on his father’s desk.
“Deliver this to… Lord Voldemort.”
It flew out the
open window and Draco watched it leave, his chest
tightening as it got smaller in the distance. What the bloody hell had he just done?
____________________
The room was small,
but elaborately decorated. Perhaps
a little dated, but very decadent in its own right - the tapestries on the
walls were clean, but there were moth holes in a few, the throne was extravagant,
but there were nicks in it in places, the carpet was a rich burgundy, but there
was the occasional stain. Had
everything been new, however, Draco could see how the
throne room that he was standing in might have been very elegant. Of course, he wasn’t paying much
attention to the room, because Lord Voldemort was
sitting in front of him in the nicked up throne, staring at him with red eyes
and breathing threw his slit, snakelike nose. Why had this been a good idea again?
Dropping to one
knee, Draco bowed forward, “My Lord.”
Voldemort made a noise that sounded like something between
approval and annoyance. “Stand.”
Draco stood, wishing his knees would stop
shaking. “What is it that you
wanted to speak with me about?”
One of the many
rumours going around was that the Dark Lord was an accomplished Legilimens and as he looked at the red eyes, Draco decided that he believed that one; best not to lie
then. “It’s about my
mother.”
“You’re
mother?”
“Yes, my
Lord. My Father had a plan and I
have been working very hard for many years. With him gone, she has seen fit to put a
halt to it. I disagree with her and
I think you will as well.”
Voldemort steepled his fingers and Draco was reminded of Snape when
he was observing an animal he had just tested a potion on. “What if I do?”
“Then I am
hoping you will persuade her to allow me to continue my efforts”
“I do not
appreciate my followers being cryptic, young Draco. Either tell me
what you wish to do for me, or I will consider this a waste of my time.”
Draco
gulped lightly and looked at the carpet, taking that single moment to steel himself before looking back up. “My father has been sending me to
spend time with Potter since I was nine-years-old. The hope was that he and I would become
friends and that I would have access to him, that I would have his
trust.”
The hairless
eyebrow ridge raised and wrinkled slightly, “Has it worked?”
“Yes, my
Lord, I have his trust.”
“Are you his
friend?”
Draco
forced a smirk, hoping it did not look too much like a grimace. “And
more.”
Voldemort kept his eye contact for several moments and Draco felt a tingle in the base of his skull. An image of Harry on his knees in front
of him flashed in front of his eyes and he blinked, caught off guard by the sudden
recollection. Voldemort
allowed his thin lips to smile, just slightly. “Yes, I do believe you are telling
me the truth. You can bring me the
boy?”
This was where he
had to be careful. He
wouldn’t, he couldn’t turn Harry over, but if what his mother
had told him was true, he wouldn’t have to. “It is my understanding that the
security at the school has been tightened to such an extreme that that may be
impossible at the moment, but I wish to continue my… affair with him, so
as not to raise his suspicions. My
mother is worried that it would be too dangerous, especially if I am to take
your Mark.”
“Ah. Then the issue is not simply your
mother. It is whether you are to
take my mark.”
“I want
to.” Draco
cursed himself for speaking too quickly, sounding too eager. “I just believe that showing my
support for you so openly might hinder my progress with Potter.”
Voldemort dropped his hands to his knee, “Come
here.”
Slowly, Draco walked to the throne and stood facing the thing that
his father served, the thing he was expected to serve. There was something in the cheekbones
and the line of the jaw that indicated that the Dark Lord may once have been an
attractive man, but there was so little human left in him that any of that
beauty was hidden behind the snakelike features currently set in the face. One of the slender hands reached up and
ran a long finger across Draco’s face, tracing
his jaw thoughtfully.
“You are a
very handsome young man, very much like your father, but perhaps a trace more
delicate.”
Had anyone else
called him ‘delicate’, Draco might have
felt the need to defend himself. As
it was, he was lucky that he was still standing. “Thank you, my Lord.”
“Hm, seduction is an adult’s game. Are you quite sure that you are up to
the challenge?”
The finger was
moving down the side of his neck.
“I… I think so.”
“Can you, at
your age, separate what you feel from what you do?”
He thought about
what he was doing now. Standing
before the Dark Lord, forcing himself to be in the presence of the man who
wanted to kill the boy he lo… fancied. Enduring that touch so
he could spend even a few weeks with his Harry. “Yes.”
Apparently,
something in his tone, or perhaps in his mind, convinced the Dark Lord that he
was serious. Dropping the hand, Voldemort smiled, a rather
insidious gesture on the lipless face.
“Very well, I will inform your mother that you are to leave for
Hogwarts immediately and we’ll postpone your initiation for now. However, should you take your freedom
too lightly, Draco Malfoy,
I may feel the need to remind you of whom you belong to.”
Draco
felt the blood leaving his face and nodded. “Of course, my
Lord. I am yours.”
“Very well,
you are dismissed.”
With another low
bow, he turned and left the room, conscious of everything form the carpet under
his feet to the eyes boring into the back of his head. He’d done it. He was going to Hogwarts to see
Harry. His mother was going to be
so pissed.
____________________
His mother had not
been pleased, but then he hadn’t expected her to be. After spending several hours ranting at
him for foolishness, she had gone to send a letter to the school, requested
that Draco be allowed to visit Harry. Ten hours later, he was standing in Dumbledore’s
office, watching house elves disappear with his trunk.
“Mr. Malfoy, it is a pleasant surprise to have you here. I must say, I had not expected to hear
from you this summer.”
Draco
looked around the office, trying not to make eye contact with Dumbledore. He’d done a moderate amount of
research on Legilimency and found that the Dark Lord
was not the only powerful wizard alive reported to be competent in the
art. He had also read that there
was a counter measure, Occlumency, and he was hoping
that he could ask Snape about it.
When Draco didn’t say anything, Dumbledore leaned back in
his chair. “Have a seat, there are some things that we need to discuss before I
send you on your way.”
Reluctantly, Draco did as he was asked, declining tea and lemon
drops. “Is something the
matter, Professor?”
“No, but due
to circumstances, this summer is going to be a bit different from the pervious
ones and I wish to make myself absolutely clear on the rules that are to be
followed while you are here.”
“Different,
sir?”
Dumbledore popped
one of the lemon drops in his mouth.
“Yes, you see Professor Snape has been
called home for the summer and will not be returning until the start of
term.”
He hadn’t
known Snape even had a home. Well, okay, logically, he had to have a
home, but Draco had never been to it and Snape was always at the school. He couldn’t even begin to imagine
the state of disrepair the place must be in. “So, we’ll be in the Tower with
Professor McGonagall then?”
“No,
I’m afraid that other than Professors Hagrid,
Trelawney and Firenz, none of the teachers were able
to stay. It is dark times, Mr. Malfoy,
they wished to spend time with their families while they still can.”
Draco
felt his cheeks redden. He
hadn’t really put much thought about what it was like for wizarding families who didn’t support Voldemort.
He’d thought about Harry, but Harry was here and he was safe and
his own family, or what was left of it, was perfectly safe as long as they
didn’t do anything stupid to anger the Dark Lord.
Like
falling for the boy who was prophesised to kill him.
Damn.
“However, you
are nearly sixteen-years-old and I would like to think that you can stay in a
room unsupervised without causing yourself great harm. To that end, you will be staying in
Professor McGonagall’s rooms for the summer. If you need anything I will be here, or
either of the Divinations Professors are on hand. Also, there is at least one Auror in the castle at all times for Harry’s
safety.”
Draco
was slightly taken aback by the amount of freedom that Dumbledore was granting
him. His father was now a known
Death Eater. Dumbledore had to know
that Draco was in line to take his father’s
place in Voldemort’s ranks. So, why was he giving him free access to
the Boy-Who-Lived? What was he
trying to gain by this?
“Sir,
I’m not sure I understand.”
“It’s
quite simple, my dear boy, I am simply informing you that should you need
anything there will be an adult nearby, but you are otherwise free to entertain
yourselves. Now,
as to the rules. There will
be no leaving the castle grounds.
However, if you intend to go anywhere outside of the castle itself, I do
ask that you inform Professor Hagrid so that he can
keep an eye on you.”
There was a very
long pause while Draco waited to hear something along
the lines of, ‘and handing Harry over to Death Eaters is expressly
forbidden,’ but Dumbledore wasn’t saying anything, “Is…
is that all, Professor?”
Dumbledore nodded
and stood up, “Oh, yes, and one more thing. Please refrain from overindulging in
sweets. The house elves will bring
you anything you ask for, but cake and pie at every meal is hardly nutritional. Try and eat at least one well-balanced
meal a day if you can.”
After several
moments, Draco nodded. “Yes,
sir.”
“Well then,
that is all. Unless you have
something you wish to tell me?”
There was that
piercing gaze again and Draco dropped his eyes,
“No, sir.”
“Very well,
I’ve not had time to inform Harry that you were coming, but I dare say he
will be very happy to see you.”
Draco
stood up and tentatively walked towards the door, still waiting for some kind
of admonishment from the Headmaster.
None came. He closed the
office door behind him and walked down the spiral stairs in a daze. This was unreal. Dumbledore was…
trusting him? Draco stopped and shoved his hands in his pockets, looking
around the deserted hallways.
He’d never
been so explicitly trusted before and it was strange - kind of lonely,
actually. He’d just have to
hurry up and get to Harry so that he could take his mind off the Headmaster and
his stupid mind games. Yes, that
was exactly what he needed. Harry… and maybe sex. Sex was always fun.
-tbc-