Disclaimers: I do not own the Harry Potter characters, and am making no money from this work.
Warnings: Mature language and content, gore and slashin later chapters, which means a male/male pairing.
Chapter One: Unexpected Easter Guests
Draco Malfoy tapped a slender finger against the rim of his polished silver goblet, the only sign of stress he would allow himself to show in front of his father. Lucius sat across from him, grey eyes pinning him down where he sat, waiting for a reply.
"So if I am understanding this correctly, Father-" he started, only to be cut off by the older man.
"As I would hope any son I raised could," Lucius said with a cool voice, before gesturing with his hand for Draco to continue.
Draco paused, choosing to ignore his father's snide comment. "The Dark Lord has suggested that I, somehow, figure out a way to kidnap Harry Potter, transport him to a safe house, and await the next orders?" He was bordering sarcasm while raising a thin blonde eyebrow, taking as big of a risk as he could while questioning Lucius Malfoy's orders.
"Yes, my son, if you wish to phrase it so crudely." Lucius' voice raised slightly, and he folded his hands in his lap, his eyes drifting towards the parlor. "It's not an option, Draco. We have family honor to uphold. You received the Mark last winter, this is your duty now." The blonde man seemed to have regained his ground, and continued in a much softer voice, eyes once again trained on his son. "I'd hate for it to be necessary to inform Narcissa that she was correct when she judged you too weak for this position," he murmured, words slicing through Draco like a frozen blade. Almost half a minute passed before Draco felt he could trust himself to answer.
"Father," he finally said, willing his tone of voice not to express his rage. "I am not too weak for this. I will accept these orders and carry them out, successfully," he said through gritted teeth, his hand gripping the goblet much too hard. "I need to be briefed on the specifics of this mission. I can't blindly run into Hogwarts and expect to be able to capture the most guarded person in the school."
Lucius merely blinked, his face resembling stone, the product of decades of practice. "The Dark Lord will arrive sometime in the next 48 hours. I'm sure he will tell you exactly how this is to be carried out." He stood, and gave his son one last icy stare. "Do not disappoint me, Draco," his tone final and barely louder than a whisper, before turning and walking out into the parlor, his robes billowing behind him.
Draco let out a soft sigh and relaxed his grip. Of course he was prepared for this, he'd had years to be instructed on what role he would eventually take. But now was that time, he was finally playing that role. He should be happy, proud, content. Instead, he felt uneasy, unsure of what he was supposed to do next.
Wait to meet the Dark Lord again, I suppose. He placed the goblet on one of the beautiful oak tables they had in the parlor. He began to walk the long carpeted path to his quarters, so he could sit in silence, and think.
He strode past the portrait of Abraxas Malfoy, a very stern looking older man, his grandfather. The man who had raised Lucius to be what he is now. He had long golden hair, streaked with light grey, much like the rest of the Malfoy family in old age. However, unlike the rest of the family, instead of grey, he had piercing deep blue eyes, which reminded Draco of a strike of lightning hitting the ocean. His grandfather gave him a small nod, really the only acknowledgement anyone could entice from the man, as Draco passed him into his room.
His bedroom was decorated in dark blue and silver, colours that had soothed Draco since he was a child. It smelled faintly of roses; the gardens lay only a few meters from his windows, and the floral scent was especially strong in Spring. Draco made his way over to his favorite armchair, a very aged piece of furniture, but he felt it was more comfortable than any others he had tried in the Manor.
Capturing Harry Potter? He thought to himself. How hard could that really be? The boy is bloody idiot, certainly no challenge for a Malfoy. I'm curious as to how I will be able to do this. He tapped his fingers on the side of his chair, staring into the garden, lost in thought. The sun had already set and the sky was almost pure black, there was no moon tonight, and he could barely make out the silhouettes of rose bushes.
I suppose I'll need sleep if I could possibly be facing the Dark Lord tomorrow.
A House Elf apparated into his bedroom with a loud pop. Draco sat up in his bed immediately, eyes scanning the room. It was still very dark, which meant he couldn't have been asleep more than an hour or two.
"What is it, Rimi?" he asked hurriedly. He wasn't sure he even wanted to know the answer the little Elf would give him.
"Master Draco is to be dressed and in the sitting room within five minutes," he squeaked. "Master Lucius says he is to hurry." Rimi bowed and Disapparated. Draco cursed under his breath; he was sure the Dark Lord wouldn't show up until at least tomorrow night.
He combed through his disshelved hair as fast as he could, and threw on his finest robes - this situation would not call for his Death Eater robes - and walked briskly out of his room towards the sitting room, his face as composed as possible. He felt a coil of nervousness unfold in his stomach, and swallowed loudly before opening the door between him and the Dark Lord.
As soon as he entered, he heard the cold, high voice address him. "Kneel."
Draco dropped to his knees, his blonde hair falling in front of his face. He could feel his heartbeat pounding in his ears, the anxiety of being so close to the Dark Lord almost overwhelming him.
"Draco Malfoy, son of my loyal servant, Lucius Malfoy," he hissed, and Draco could feel him striding over to where he knelt, heart quickening with every step he heard. "I have decided to bestow you with the biggest honor my Death Eaters have seen in the last decade. You will be solely responsible for capturing Harry Potter from Hogwarts when you return from Easter holidays. Severus has been so kind as to brew a potion, which I have with me now. Rise," he ordered, and Draco basically jumped to his face, his eyes fixed somewhere on Voldemort's forehead. He was much too scared to look to man directly in the eyes.
"You need not worry about the specifics of this potion, you only need know that when given to Potter, it will incapacitate him long enough for you to move him to a safe house, the location of which you will be informed of in due time." Draco's knees started to weaken, the Dark Lord smelled of decayed flesh, and he was holding back a gag. Voldemort looked amused, then, and took one step closer to Draco. "You will be responsible for making sure he ingests this potion, in a secluded place, one where you will not have any witnesses." He bared his lips, showing mangled teeth, and spoke in a low voice. "Are there any questions that you have?"
Draco swallowed thickly, unsure if he could find his voice to reply. "Master," he said softly, barely able to force the word out. "What are my orders after we get to the safe house?"
Voldemort laughed, a high pitched and horrible noise, which made Draco freeze to the spot, terrified beyond measure. "That will be made clear to you once you've reached that point." He snapped his fingers once, and turned swiftly away from Draco to face his father. "Lucius, I must speak with you privately."
Lucius turned to Draco, voice like a whip. "To your rooms, now. The potion will be packed with your belongings."
Draco bowed and hurried out of the sitting room, his breath coming in short gasps. He would never get used to being around Voldemort, and had no idea how his father did it. He took no time in getting back to his room, collapsing on the sheets of his bed.
His heart was beating erratically, and no matter how he tried to calm down, he couldn't get himself to relax. He would be on his way back to Hogwarts the day after tomorrow, and shortly after that he would have to create a plan to capture the bloody Savior of the Wizarding World.
He closed his eyes, and took in a deep, ragged breath. This was not what he had in mind when he took the Dark Mark.
A/N: What do you guys think? Continue? Reviews are greatly appreciated!