Written for Round 2 of the QLFC
Some of you are pretty new to QL, and it's still early in the season, so what better to take a look around?
I'm sure most of you have seen the tourist-y sights, and who among us hasn't seen Hogwarts, Gringotts or the Ministry? So, grab your maps (and a returning player willing to act as tour-guide) and let's get exploring! Don't get too lost though, you still have a match to play!
Use the location assigned to your position as the setting for your story.
Position: Keeper
Keeper: Your setting is the Magical Menagerie
Word Count: 1496
Summary: Abraxas tells Lucius a curious story about albino peacocks.
Abraxas and his son, Lucius, were walking in Diagon Alley. Lucius had pestered Abraxas about wanting to buy a pet owl, but he wouldn't stop ogling at this and that—especially the new brooms. Abraxas had to yank him away from the display.
"Lucius," Abraxas said, "do you even want an owl anymore?"
"Of course I do!" Lucius said.
"Then hurry up," Abraxas said.
Abraxas sighed at the small pout that appeared on Lucius' lips for a fraction of a second. It wasn't that he didn't want to spend time with his son; however, he had a business meeting he simply couldn't miss, and Lucius picked the worst times to throw a small tantrum. Couldn't they have bought the owl the next day? Well, according to his lovely wife, they couldn't.
"Of course, Father," Lucius said, impending tantrum averted when Lucius saw the Menagerie.
They entered the shop and Lucius immediately went to the section where the owls were kept, Abraxas following at a much more sedate pace. Suddenly, Lucius ran back to Abraxas, holding a baby albino peacock.
"Father! Look!" Lucius shoved the tiny peacock under Abraxas' nose. "It's like the ones we have but tiny!" Lucius brought his hands back down, tilting his head to the side. "Father… why do we have so many of them? And why the white ones? There were lots in there with lots and lots of colors."
Abraxas tried to hide his chuckle at his son's inquisitive nature. He leaned down, steadying Lucius' hands. The small albino hadn't seemed to be enjoying all the jostling that his son had been subjecting it to.
"Well, Lucius, that is quite the long story. Would you like to hear it?" he asked with a fond smile.
"Father, you always say that. I'm pretty sure it's not even that long," Lucius whined.
Abraxas gave Lucius a stern look, even if he wanted to chuckle at Lucius' attitude. They were Malfoys, they had an image to maintain.
"Malfoys do not whine, Lucius."
Lucius rolled his eyes. "Who cares? Nobody's looking right now anyways."
"Lucius," Abraxas warned.
"Fine, fine, just tell your story," Lucius said, a pout on his face.
Abraxas contained another sigh. His wife spoiled their son far too much. The fact that he did the same wasn't worth mentioning, of course. This attitude was clearly his wife's fault. Naturally, such a statement would never leave his lips, lest his wife heard it.
"Alright then, but first, let's sit down," Abraxas said. He took out his wand, smirking at how Lucius' eyes went to it right away, and conjured a small bench. After he and Lucius sat down, he began. "This was many years ago. I'd say, at least thirty years. I was around the same age as you are now. Nine years old, and I already had the responsibilities of being the Malfoy heir on my shoulders."
"You were my age once?" Lucius said, bewildered, and Abraxas couldn't stop the small chuckle that bubbled up his throat.
"Yes." He grinned down at Lucius. "Now hush," Abraxas said. "My father was taking me to Diagon Alley for a trip."
"Grandfather… you said he was gone. He died. You never said why. You said I was too young. I'm older now." Lucius had a mulish look painted all over his face, and Abraxas shook his head. As far as Lucius was concerned, he was all grown up, even if he wasn't even old enough to own a wand.
"He died in the war with Grindelwald." He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. He really didn't want to speak about his family's loyalties during the Grindelwald war out in the open. Even he wasn't sure with whom his father had sided in the end. He just knew that his father had died to keep him and his mother safe. To Abraxas, that was the only thing that mattered. "No matter what people may say about us, family always comes first, Lucius. Never forget that. I named you after him, you know?" Abraxas said softly.
He still missed his father. He had been a harsh man; however, he had never been absent from Abraxas' life. There hadn't been a time in his life where he couldn't have sought his father's advice, never a time where his father hadn't made time to be there for him. Now more than ever, Abraxas wished his father was still with him. Times were growing darker, and he didn't know what to do, how to keep his small family safe.
"What was his name?" Lucius asked, absentmindedly stroking the soft breast feathers of the peacock.
"His name was Lucianus Livius Malfoy. He was a proud man, deserving of the Malfoy title," Abraxas told him. "Enough interruptions. My father took me to Diagon Alley to conduct some family business. On the way to the shop, my father met someone he knew, and they started a conversation. I, being nine years of age, grew tired of waiting, and while my father was distracted, I started to wander around."
"Let me guess, you got lost didn't you?" Lucius asked, a small smirk pulling at his lips.
Abraxas narrowed his eyes at the cheeky question, and Lucius just looked at him innocently. Huffing, Abraxas shook his head.
"Indeed, I did," he said. "I wandered around so much that I lost sight of where my father was, and I began to panic. I ran around, trying to find him, getting even more lost," Abraxas said. He was going to open his mouth to say more when Lucius interrupted.
"I wouldn't get lost." Lucius' sniffed haughtily, and it took every shred of Abraxas' control not to laugh at the expression.
"Troublesome child," Abraxas said with a huff. "Well, all of the routes ended up in dead ends except for one. I stumbled upon the Magical Menagerie. I entered the shop and almost immediately regretted my decision."
"Why? Was it full of Muggle-borns or something?" Lucius asked.
"No," Abraxas replied. "It was small and cramped. Very unlike how it is now," Abraxas said, gesturing around the shop. "There were cages lining the walls, and all types of animals were running around wild. I was going to go out but realized that a burly man was blocking my way to the exit. I said excuse me many times, but the great oaf didn't seem to hear me. I resigned myself to staying in the shop until the man moved. But something caught my eye. It was a gigantic crab, encrusted with jewels. I thought that it was harmless, so I went to pick it up. As soon as I touched it, a column of flames at least twenty feet in length came rushing at me." Lucius gasped, but Abraxas continued as if he hadn't heard. "A blur of white shot in front of me and took the brunt of the flames. I only suffered minor injuries from the crab, but the thing that had just saved my life was dead. Burnt to a crisp. Lucius, can you guess what it was?"
"I'd say that it was an albino peacock, but it died, so it can't be, right?" Lucius said.
"Wrong, Lucius," Abraxas said. "It was an albino peacock. It was a mother, too, so I guess that its maternal instinct kicked in and it saved my life. She had seven little albino peacock babies. I thought that if their mother had just saved my life, I would, in turn, save theirs."
Lucius harrumphed and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Something to say, Lucius?" Abraxas asked.
"No," Lucius said hurriedly, "just carry on with your story."
Abraxas stared at Lucius for a moment then continued, "At that moment, my father, having heard a commotion, realized I had disappeared and ran into the shop. My father seemed relieved to find me on the floor with only slight burns on my body. I then told him the whole story, and he agreed to take the peacocks. He argued with the shopkeeper for a while. Because you see, Lucius, he wanted them for free, but the shopkeeper wanted him to pay for them. My father ended up threatening the shopkeeper by saying that he would sue this shop if he didn't agree to give the peacocks to him for free. After that, the shopkeeper finally relented, and I took home seven baby peacocks. Ever since there have been peacocks at Malfoy Manor."
"That was a long story," Lucius said, yawning.
"Indeed. Now, quickly go pick an owl, lest your mother worries herself to death," Abraxas said.
"Yes, Father," Lucius said.
Soon after, Abraxas and Lucius left the shop, a tiny albino peacock sitting on Lucius' hands.
*ooOOoo*
Many years later, a small seven-year-old Draco Malfoy came into his father's study and asked,
"Father, why do we always have peacocks everywhere?"
"Well, Draco, it's a very long story, would you like to hear it?"
"Yes!"
"Well, my father, once told me about a visit to Diagon Alley..."