Out in the darkness, sobbing, sighing,
Yonder, where the dead are lying,
Over mounds with headstones gray,
And new ones made but yesterday
Weeps the rain above the mould,
Weeps the night-rain, sad and cold.

Asleepnot deadyour grief is vain,
Wild, wailing winds, November rain.

He turned his tear streaked features to face the man before him. The blonde's hair was mussed and blood stained, the cut on his head oozing crimson liquid down his forehead and slowly running down his chin, dripping onto the pristine white shirt.

"Father…please." The older man turned his face away from the younger blonde for a second, an unknown emotion flitting across his face. The boy moved closer to him, reaching out to his Father's arm, wanting to feel some of the feelings that his Father lavished on his Mother. The love and the affection that was never given to him. All his life he had just wanted someone to love him, need him and want him for him. He was lonely. It had been this way for a long time now. Brought up with few friends and a reputation to uphold on his shoulders, he had always been reassuring himself that it would be O.K. He would soon receive some affection, some love. But it never came to him. Now here was his chance to please his Father and have him smile at him like he did his Mother.

He stumbled backwards as the blow struck home, jarring his senses and causing blood to slowly drip out of his nose now as well. He held a shaking hand up, felt his nose and slowly brought it away. Red shimmered through the haze of tears that had sprung to his eyes again.

"No, Draco. You shall do this! I will not accept the reasons you have given me. You are a Malfoy! You shall uphold the honour which is expected of our family name." Draco's head dropped slowly down to his chest before he slumped to his knees.

"Draco…come. He waits and he is growing impatient. I…I sense it." Draco raised his head listlessly and met his Father's storm grey eyes with his own, the colour shared between them. He nodded once before climbing slowly to his feet again.

"I'm sorry Father. I will uphold the family honour. I am afraid I had a slight moment of…madness." He sighed and swallowed with difficulty as his Father caught hold of his arm, tightening the grip so he wasn't lost in the apparition or splinched. He closed his eyes as he felt the familiar vacuum sensation as they moved extremely quickly through darkness and space.

When he next opened them, he was in a dimly lit room, sparsely furnished with threadbare chairs and a ripped settee sat in the corner. Cobwebs hung thickly around the room and dust coated everything. He looked around warily as the silence stretched out across the minutes. He eventually opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped by his Father as he squeezed his shoulder painfully hard. He gasped, quickly stifling it as he bit his lip, tearing the skin slightly and causing it to sting, a drop of blood beading, poised to fall either way. He glanced around warily as the swish of robes announced the arrival of someone else. A dark shape dissolved out of the shadows, tendrils of blackness swirling together to form the figure of a cloaked person. Draco gulped, shuffling backwards slightly into his Father, who gave him a slight frown before sidestepping round him. He bowed; low enough that his hair touched the floor, leaving trails in the thick dust, before speaking, in an awe filled voice.

"My Lord…here he is. He is very willing to be in your service. He will give himself completely to your cause and do everything you tell him." The figure moved forward slowly, barely sparing a glance at the crouched figure of Lucius. Draco held his ground as the figure advanced on him. He felt his nostrils flare slightly in fear as the cloaked figure of Voldemort stopped just in front of him. His gaze dropped to the floor.

"Who do you think you are?" A voice spat out not far from his ear. "Why are you not on your knees before me? Do you not know any respect for your elders? And your betters?" Draco gave a start and dropped quickly to his knees, feeling himself begin to flush slightly in embarrassment at the reproach from the Dark Lord.

"Better…now why do you think you are able to serve me adequately? I have many followers. What could a sixteen year old boy possibly offer me that any of my other more…seasoned followers could not?" Draco swallowed, feeling the click in the back of his throat due to nerves and tried to speak. A croak escaped his opened mouth. After clearing his throat he began to talk, the slightest tremble belying the confidence he was showing.

"My L…Lord, I feel I can offer you a spy within the very realms of your enemies at Hogwarts. I am, after all, a student there. I could pass on their…what they are doing at Hogwarts. I could attempt to find out any plans and I could…even…befriend Harry Potter." He waited still gazing at the floor. His knees had begun to ache due to the coldness of the room and the hardness of the wood floor, which in some places, was dangerously rotten. He chanced a glance up at the monster in front of him. Voldemort was watching him with narrowed eyes. A long pale finger began tracing his own thin lipped mouth before he eventually spoke.

"Very well. You can try, I suppose. You will bear the mark of course?" Draco looked up quickly, his eyes widening to the likes of that of a deer trapped in headlights. He glanced to his Father and shook his head without thinking. Voldemort's wand was suddenly held underneath his chin, his red eyes flashing dangerously.

"What was that?" He hissed in a cold and venomous voice. "You will not take the mark? And why is that?" Draco opened his mouth to reply but was silenced as Voldemort caught hold tightly of his chin, squeezing the soft flesh of his cheeks together in a vice like grip.

"You will learn, Mr. Malfoy, that you will do what I tell you whether you like it or not. Now, roll up your sleeve…NOW!" Draco jumped as the last word was screamed at him. He began to shakily draw up the arm of his shirt, pulling back the black fur-lined cloak he was wearing.

"My Lord, please hear my reason…" He waited for some sign from Voldemort to continue. He carried on as Voldemort raised an eyebrow. "The reasoning behind my actions is this…if anyone was to see the mark upon me, then the ruse I am playing would be up. They would know and the people there would not trust me, let alone talk to me." He waited with bated breath. Voldemort sighed and waved his hand, idly.

"Very well. Take your shirt off." Draco froze as he rolled his shirt sleeve down. His Father glanced up quickly and motioned for him to do so. He glanced round, searching for anywhere he could escape within the room. There was nowhere. He slowly began unbuttoning the front of it, revealing a milky white muscular chest and a slight six pack. He attempted to not notice the almost hungry look within the Dark Lord's eyes. He dropped the blood stained shirt to the floor, still shaking on his knees. The Dark Lord began to circle him, carefully considering Draco's leanly muscled and shivering body. He suddenly wrenched up Draco's face.

"Look at me. I have to know that when you take this vow, you mean every word of what you say whelp." Draco swallowed and nodded, gaining eye contact with the snake like eyes. Voldemort lazily twirled his wand between his long thin fingers and asked,

"Do you, Draco Abraxus Malfoy, swear fealty to me, Lord Voldemort which will never waver?" Draco's eyes flickered slightly as he nodded. Voldemort caught hold of Draco's chin again, forcing him to look deeper into Voldemort's eyes.

"Say it." He hissed, rubbing a slow circle on Draco's chin with one of his long and yellowing finger nails.

"I s…swear fealty to you, My Lord and no-one else." The dark Lord held eye contact for a few seconds longer and then his face was dropped. Cruel amusement filled the Dark Lord's gaze.

"He fears me." Draco's eyes widened slightly as he cowered on the floor. The Dark Lord continued.

"He shall bear a different mark to that of everyone else. It will look no more than a tattoo to the untrained eye. It will go here." A cold point touched Draco on his right shoulder blade. He began breathing a little more heavily, panting with fear as the Dark Lord slowly brought his wand to touch him where he had pointed out to Lucius. As the wand touched Draco's skin, a white hot searing pain shot through his body, burning away any feelings of love he had, turning him into, at this precise moment, an emotionless shell. Another wave of pain surged through him and he slumped forwards onto his hands and knees, cringing, his eyes screwed tight shut. Whimpers escaped his mouth which he tried to keep within himself. After what felt like hours, but was actually a matter of minutes, the pain abruptly ended. Draco slumped forwards onto the cold floor. The dark Lord's voice above him kept him awake mere moments before he slumped forwards and didn't hear another word for a number of hours.

First chapter there. Tell me what you think. The poem is not mine. It's something I found on the internet and thought would capture the essence of Draco's emotions later on in the story. Review!