A/N: I should really be working on other stories but shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh :P

Dislcaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

)O(

"You have to mean it, Draco."

An aggravated noise is heard from the pale teenager and he flicks his white-blond hair out off his eyes.

"I'm trying!"

"Well try harder, then!"

The Mudblood that Bellatrix brought into Malfoy Manor for Draco to practice on winces as an incantation is uttered, but the expected does not come. They feel a stinging in their body but it is not even the slightest bit uncomfortable–in fact, quite welcoming–compared to the pain given when Bellatrix screams her curse.

The Mudblood's own shrieks are terrifying and Draco is even paler than usual when his aunt rests her cold black eyes on his face.

"Draco," she sighs. "I have put up with your excuses and your failures. I have put up with your Mother's insistence that you're 'just a boy'–but the Dark Lord will not. He expects me to train you and it would be helpful if you put even the slightest bit of effort into this!"

She doesn't see Draco's lip trembling and the tears that fall down his face and she doesn't hear the rattling breaths or his sobs when she leaves the room and she wouldn't care if she had noticed, anyway. She's Bellatrix Lestrange and she's the Dark Lord's Most Faithful and she doesn't have to worry about inflicting pain because she does it when she doesn't even mean to. The thought of what would happen if she couldn't give the Mudblood pain doesn't cross her mind because she's cruel and hardened and there's only five things in the world she cares about–her Master, her bloodline, her sister, the Dark Lord's faith in her and pain.

She wants to cause pain for her own nephew when he fails the Dark Lord and even though he's family and he's her sister's son and he's got Black blood, she doesn't give a damn about him.

And he wonders if anyone does give a damn about him. Apart from his Mother and perhaps Pansy Parkinson then he feels alone, constantly alone, and he's not sure if he cares or not.

But even though he shuts people out and gives them no reason to like him, maybe it would be nice to have someone there who understands.