Chapter One: The Mark
"Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody."― Mark Twain
June 5th, 1991
Draco Malfoy shifted nervously under the scrutiny of his party guests- mostly family, a small lot, but no less intense. It was his eleventh birthday, a milestone, especially in the Malfoy family, and the packed room was anticipating this precise moment. It would be any minute now. If he was chosen, his Dark Mark would appear. It's the day his parents had been waiting for. For years, telling him with pride that one day he would be a part of something worlds bigger than his own self. That he would inherit a dynasty.
Draco didn't know if he wanted to be chosen.
But he would be. That was certain. Everyone in his family received their Dark Mark, every branch of the Malfoy family tree marked with the crest of the Dark Lord. (All except his mother, Narcissa, one of the uncommon, but not altogether rare, cases of one who chose instead of being chosen.) The prospect of continuing a long line of dark wizards unsettled Draco just a bit, and he felt a small pit in his stomach start to form.
Suddenly, there it was. A small tingling sensation, almost unnoticeable at first, in his left arm. The faint tingle grew stronger with every passing second and Draco flexed his bony fingers against the pain, grimacing. Narcissa, ever observant, took immediate notice of the small gesture her son had made, her head perking up in eagerness and anticipation.
"Lucius," she hissed at her husband who had been talking quietly with Rudolphus Lestrange. "Lucius, come quick. It's beginning." After a beat, a dark smile crossed the wizard's face and, ceasing his previous conversation entirely, he swiftly crossed the room to where his son sat in a great curving armchair. One by one, the guests that filled the sitting room of Malfoy Manor came to circle around the boy.
Draco hissed in a breath as fine lines began to swirl to life in his skin, the inky black cutting a stark contrast against the pale of his arm. More lines began to surface, finally taking the ominous shape of the Dark Mark, prominent on his skin. An excitable murmur broke out among the small crowd of people as Lucius placed his hand firmly on his son's shoulder, relishing in the praise and attention the family of three was receiving.
Draco sat almost expressionless in the posh, overstuffed armchair. The pit in his stomach had blossomed into a full flowering vine of dread and apprehension that coiled itself around his insides. He knew he would be chosen. And now he would be called. Called to the darkness that he feared so much. Called to a master he knew nothing of, who wasn't even believed to be alive by some. Called to honor the Malfoy name, carry on the legacy. Push it down, a voice inside him urged. Bear it with pride. Stay loyal.
Draco clenched his jaw and smiled a tight smile. Loyal.
"Congratulations, sweetheart," his mother crooned, caressing his white blond hair and lifting her chin to soak in the praise.
A/N: Hello my lovelies! I am officially back! So here is the first installment of my new Drarry fanfiction. And I have to say guys, I'm super excited about this story. I know it's super short but I'm probably going to be posting chapter two really, really soon so be looking out for that. Hope you enjoyed and don't forget to R&R.
Until next time, my lovelies!
~MG
***Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material from the Harry Potter Universe. All of this genius belongs to the great and powerful Joanne K. Rowling :)