Escaping Reality
AlwaysPadfoot
Prompts: Word: Sugar - Genre: Tragedy - Emotion: grief - Dialogue: "Run away, and never come back." - Character: Draco Malfoy - Setting: Malfoy Manor - Weapon: dagger
Malfoy Manor had suddenly got very quiet without my father around and I couldn't decide whether his oppressive manner was missed or not. Of course, it was vaguely better without his domineering and aggressive person about the house, but what had replaced it, the silence, was haunting us.
Everyday was the same for mother and I, we'd eat together in silence, go about our business separately and then at the end of the day we'd sit together in the library. Mother would have a strong coffee with a teaspoon of sugar, I'd taken to having a small glass of my fathers firewhisky, and we'd sit with the wireless on without saying a word to each other. Then at eleven, mother would shut off the radio and retire to her chambers, leaving me to sit there in near darkness for however long I chose to.
Unfortunately, tonight the silence was to be broken by my Aunt Bellatrix making a sudden arrival through the floo. Mother and I both stood as the fireplace erupted with green flames and Aunt Bella emerged from them.
"Bella?"
It was Mother who spoke. I couldn't bring myself to say a word because I knew what Aunt Bella's visit could mean for us, for me.
"Cissy," she cooed in retaliation, "I come with news from the Dark Lord."
My whole body stiffened, with my father in Azkaban any news from the Dark Lord could only be bad news. I kept my face straight and waited for exactly what news my Aunt had brought to us. I could see my mother's face flicker into a frown for a brief moment before she cleared her throat.
"What news do you bring, sister?"
"Our Lord will be coming here in two hours," Bella said, "He wishes to speak to Draco."
My Aunt looked to me, her eyes alight and glinting with excitement. Ice cold dread slid down the length of my spine, but I managed to keep a look of indifference on my face even though inside I was truly breaking down. Aunt Bella and my mother were both studying me with great interest in finding out my reaction; my mother out of concern, but for my aunt it was something more.
She'd arrived adorned in black robes, her eyes feral and hair wild. A deadly looking silver dagger was attached to her clothing on her hip and her wand was twirling dangerously in her left hand. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to retain some composure.
"If that is what the Dark Lord wishes," I began.
"It is Draco." Bella interrupted.
"Then I'm glad that he has chosen to honour us with his presence," I lied. One of my Aunt's dark eyebrows shot up in mild interest whilst my mother's bottom trip trembled. Her concern was clearly evident in the way she held herself. I wasn't entirely sure that Aunt Bella had noticed, in fact, I was sure she hadn't.
"Excellent Draco," she crooned as my eyes flickered to my mother.
"Now if you would excuse me. Mother. Aunt Bellatrix."
I managed to make it all the way up the stairs before I sprinted for the bathroom and lunged at the door handle. Throwing the door open, I dropped to my knees and emptied the contents of my stomach into the toilet. My shoulders shook as I squeezed my eyes shut and tried not to sob openly. It was too hard, eventually tears stained my face and I dug my fingernails into the palms of my hands, annoyed with myself for showing a weakness.
I stiffened when minutes later I felt a presence behind me, but I suddenly became overwhelmed when I heard my mother's voice, "Oh, Draco."
She rushed to my side, taking me into her arms like a small child and brushing my fringe away so she could see my face. I turned it away into her arm, crying heavily as sobs racked through my body and clinging to her as if I were a small child once more.
Voldemort was going to make me a Death Eater just like my father and my grandfather had been before me. I would forever be devoid of my freedom. My act of spoilt Pureblood son at Hogwarts had kept me surprisingly far from the dark events that could happen in the Common Room. After all, everyone assumed I was in the know automatically, that my father had taught me everything, thus I used my act to stay away from it all. I thought it had been brilliant that I had just retained the respect without any unnecessary actions just because of my name.
But now, all those happenings would be expected of me by the cruellest of man, by the Dark Lord himself. The moment last year in my careers meeting when I declined the offer of running away from my Godfather was the worst mistake I'd made. This time last year I thought I could end up being a Healer, but that would never be now.
"M-mother," I sniffed, feeling stupid and childish, "I don't want to be my father."
I drew in a shuddering breath as we clung to each other on the bathroom floor in a deafening silence. There was a patch on her shoulder where my tears had fallen and she kissed my head and whispered softly before stopping abruptly. I froze, wondering why she'd stopped and for a moment I thought that she'd heard something downstairs.
"Draco, stand up," she said, her voice distant yet firm.
"Mother?"
I looked at her confusion, dragging a sleeve across my face to try and hide my tears. My face burned with embarrassment at the whole situation.
"Stand up and follow me," she demanded, her voice became hurried all of a sudden and her movements jerky as I scrambled to my feet. Grabbing my arm, she led me to my room on the above floor whilst calling out for Magsie on the way there.
"Mother, what are you doing?"
I tried to get answers out of her but Magsie appeared right on cue allowing my mother to pretend that she hadn't heard me.
"What can Magsie get for you, Mistress Malfoy," the small elf squeaked.
"Those clothes of Draco's that I gave you to store away ready to be deposed of," my mother said, "I need them straight away."
The little elf nodded feverishly, "Of course, Mistress."
I frowned, what on earth could my mother possibly be doing? We reached my room and she pushed me inside, drawing her wand.
"What are you doing?"
"Be quiet, Draco," she warned, raising her wand in a series of complex movements. I felt a wave on magic wash over me and the surprise must have been overly evident on my face because she almost smiled at my reaction.
"Mother," I snapped, annoyed somewhat, "Please, tell me what you are doing."
Without explanation, Magsie reappeared with a bundle of clothing that I had identified just the week previous to be damaged in some way or unwearable. My forehead crinkled in confusion as my mother began to bustle around behind me looking for something in my bedside drawer. I was about to go over to her when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.
My jaw dropped.
In the mirror opposite stood a boy much taller than I had once been. His hair and eyes were a soft brown. His skin was less pale and seemed to have acquired a southern French tan as well as a splattering of freckles across his cheeks. I reached up, my fingers drawing back the collar of my shirt, now too small, to search for the unique birthmark I had always had. Of course, on my collarbone was where it remained and my mouth dropped open in shock. Before I knew it, mother was fastening a chain around my neck and there, in the opening of my shirt, hung her wedding ring.
My world span a little as I tried to comprehend what was going on.
"When I was your age, Draco, I fell deeply in love with a boy named Daniel," Mother began, her voice trembling ever so slightly, "He was a questionable half-blood and together we planned to travel the world to further our studies together."
I wanted to interrupt but I let her continue, "Despite being a Slytherin, the hat did try to convince me to become Ravenclaw. Anyway I planned to leave my family so that Daniel and I could be together before I ended up marrying your father."
"You what..." I barely whispered my words, she smiled sadly and cupped my face sadly, dragging a thumb over a tear that was slowly sliding down my cheek.
"But, of course, it never happened. Your Aunt Andromeda ran away with her Muggleborn husband and my Grandmother made herself ill with shock and grief. Feeling obliged to remain and look after my dying mother, Daniel and I chose to leave later just a month before your father and I's wedding."
I listened intently as my mother used a switching charm to swap my current clothes to the older and shabbier ones. A pair of dark trousers with a hole in the knee and a shirt missing a button clung to my body uncomfortably for a second before mother adjusted them with her wand a little making them bearable.
"Thank you," I muttered.
She inclined her head slightly, "My mother died three weeks before I was going to run away and just two days before Daniel and I were due to leave there was an attack in the neighbourhood where Daniel and his parents lived."
My mother stopped for a brief second summoning a silver watch and the rest of her strength to finish her story, "Daniel and his parents died and I was left here with one remaining option, the marriage that my father had arranged with your father. Of course, I had no desire to disobey my father with nowhere to go, so in the final week of August Lucius and I were married."
"Mother, why have you - I mean how," I stopped, "What are you doing?"
She tapped her wand on the watch creating a portkey, before she held it out to me. My eyes widened in shock as I realised what she'd done to me. What she'd given me.
"Run away, and never come back," she whispered.
"Mum!" I almost couldn't believe what she was telling me, the idea was simply ridiculous. The Dark Lord would find me, no doubt.
"Say you're from France, you're a Muggleborn with no means of paying for anything," Mother told me.
"Mother, he will kill you, and he'll find me and kill me," I whimpered, ashamed of my cowardliness and childish attitude.
"I never got chance to run away, Draco," Mother persisted, "I never got to be who I desired to be, please," she begged, her tears evident without me even having to meet her eyes. She pushed the watch onto my wrist.
"Come with me," I breathed.
"No, I can't," she replied, "Magic will find you Draco, don't visit the vault until he's gone. Don't ruin this chance I've given you, please."
I could barely breathe as she pulled away from me and met my eyes, "I love you so very much, Draco."
"I love you too, Mother," my voice cracked and the familiar sensation of being transported reached my stomach, almost making me throw up once more. After seconds I was spat out somewhere where my head hit the cold hard road of what seemed to be an empty street. Dazed, my world faded to black and in the small millisecond, I prayed for my mother.