[A/N- My first proper D/G fic! Please review, let me know how I'm doing. I really want to actually finish this story, and reviews will help! I have a lot written already, although it's not typed yet. Anyway, on with the story….]
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
The sun was making its final transition from day to night as it slowly disappeared behind the green mountains of Wiltshire. The Malfoys were seated for dinner, oddly formal for a normal night. Just as their meals usually went, none of them spoke to one another. An uncomfortable air sat among the family.
At the head of the table sat Lucius Malfoy, face set and concentrated on the chicken on his plate. To his right sat his wife, Narcissa. No food sat at her place. She sipped daintily on a glass of red wine, periodically refilling it, a self assured sneer on her face meant for no one. Her only son, Draco, sat across from her, trying to avoid the eyes of both his father and his mother. Looking at either would provoke strong emotion, and emotions were not a thing a Malfoy would allow to show.
One candle on the silver candelabra sitting in the middle of the table extinguished itself suddenly, causing the dim room to grow even darker. "Bonka, get us another candle now," Narcissa called out lazily. A cowering house elf sidled into the room silently, pressing herself against the wall. Narcissa glared at her severely as the little elf scurried forward and replaced the small film of wax remaining with a tall, unlit candle.
Nervousness was settling upon Draco. Over the years, he had learned how to read Lucius's moods, and this particular mood was not looking good. Tomorrow, he would be leaving for school, and his father would probably want to get rid of those last aggressions before Narcissa became his primary punching bag again.
Lucius looked up abruptly, his cold eyes glaring at his son. The very look caused Draco to flinch slightly. "I would like to have a word with you in my study now, son." Not waiting for a response, Lucius stood and strode out of the room.
Draco rose quickly, trying to keep up with his father. Before he exited the dining room, he gave his mother a brief glance. The arrogance had faded from her face, leaving behind the fear Draco was too scared to show.
He followed Lucius's wide footsteps through the long corridors of their manor, growing tenser as they drew closer to the study. The recent events hardly did anything to alleviate his father's temper. His violent outbursts had become considerably more frequent since June. Of course, Harry Potter was to blame for that, too. Draco hadn't thought it possible, but he hated the boy more than ever. Because of him, Lucius would disappear periodically, coming back bruised and angrier than ever, and taking it out on his wife and son. The Ministry may have been turning a blind eye to the second rise of the Dark Lord, but he was alive and well in the Malfoy manor.
A turn was made, and Lucius and Draco entered the study. Typical of most rooms in the mansion, Lucius's study was large and dim, with a large fireplace flickering against a wall. Tapestries and paintings were hung immoderately on the wall, most bearing the Malfoy crest. Immediately, Lucius walked over to the bar and began to open bottles.
"Take a seat, Draco," he ordered. Draco obliged and settled himself haphazardly on the edge of an antique sofa. Quickly, he tried to hide his intimidation of his father with a classic sneer. It was useless- his father could sense fear in a fly- but at least now he could not be accused of showing weakness, a classic complaint of his father.
Lucius sat next to his son, but did not make eye contact. His grey eyes were instead focused on the fire. The couch they shared was small, but there was still a considerable distance between the two. Several moments of silence passed, broken only by the sips Lucius took. It only allowed for Draco's anxiousness to grow.
For the second time that night, Draco flinched as his father's eyes settled upon him. They penetrated him, as if searching for any excuse to berate Draco. "So," Lucius drawled, "Tomorrow will begin your fifth year at that blasted school."
"Yes it will, sir," Draco answered promptly. He was thankful that his voice did not quaver.
Some of Draco's tension was relieved as Lucius looked back into the fire. There was a slight pause, and then, "It's your mother, of course you know, who insists you to there. Naturally, I would have preferred you receive a decent education- Durmstrang, perhaps. Your mother would have wasted away without you near, I'm afraid. She's hell enough to live with as it is, it would have been against my best interests to have a wife pining for a child."
A dry chuckle came from Lucius, causing Draco's stomach to churn with contempt. His mother barely spoke to Lucius, only out of fear. She spent her days trying to be invisible, only trying to avoid the brunt of his anger. Where does he get the nerve to say that she is hard to live with? Draco thought angrily.
"Of course, you will have a new teacher for that preposterous course, Defense Against the Dark Arts. But, for the first time, it will be a woman from whom you can benefit. A ministry employee, and you know the power I have there." Lucius glared at Draco, as if daring him to say anything to the contrary. When Draco just nodded in response, Lucius continued.
"However, I'm afraid our lines of communication will be seriously impaired, if not cut off completely. New policies at the school will be enacted- censoring of the post, curriculum changes, things of that sort."
There was a soft clink as Lucius set the glass onto a table. He turned his body so he was facing his son directly. A glare of pure anger contorted his father's face. Draco was no longer sure that he could completely hide his fear. When Lucius spoke, his voice was low and harsh.
"This woman is on our side, and you must let that be known. It is your duty to uphold the family name, whatever it takes. As always, you are expected to keep the right company, make the choices that will allow you to join us when you are seventeen. We all have duties in this life, and yours is to serve the Dark Lord."
Draco was too scared to immediately respond to his father. He could easily tell his father what he wanted to hear, whether he or not he believed it. But every muscle in his body was frozen, stopped by the glare his father was giving him. Finally, he managed to nod up and down roughly.
The hesitation did not go unnoticed by Lucius. Before Draco could react, his father drew back a fist and hit his jaw. Pain came immediately, and before he could stop himself, Draco grabbed the spot with both hands.
Lucius was on his feet, and he grabbed Draco's arms and wrenched him upward. Now there was barely a distance between the two men. The event Draco had been dreading all night had finally arrived.
"You insolent little bastard!" his father yelled. "When the day comes, you will be a lucky man if the Dark Lord will accept someone as useless as you into his ranks!" He hit Draco again, this time connecting with his eye.
For a moment after, Lucius looked at his son with unmistakable disgust. He whispered in a lethal voice,"That is the way things will be done in this family, and you are to abide to that. Never forget- there is nothing more important in this world than power."
With a rough shove to help him, Draco got to the door. He walked properly down the first stretch of the hall, trying in vain to ignore the pain pulsating on his face. When he turned a corner and was out of his father's eyeshot, he broke out into a run that did not falter until he shut himself his room.
He peered onto the ornate mirror hung on his wall. Two dark red marks had appeared where his father had hit him. They would create large bruises if not taken care of. But at that moment, Draco didn't care.
The fear of becoming seventeen was becoming stronger as the day grew closer. He wouldn't come of age for another year and a half, but there were preparations that came before becoming a Death Eater, as his father had reminded him yet again.
So far, he had been able to do the one part by keeping up the Malfoy name. If there was one thing his father had taught him that he could agree with, it was that purity of blood was superior. Their families had been magic for centuries, while others who were first in their generation tried to claim that they were his equal. The very thought was ludicrous to him. Then there were those who just had no proper pride in their blood- The Weasleys, Sirius Black. They were superior by birth, but chose to buy into the ideal that every magical person was equal. They disgusted him even more than Mudbloods.
But the other part, Draco was not so confident he could do. Yes, he was superior to those with less pure blood, but killing them just for the fact did not seem justified at all. He had seen first had what being a Death Eater could do to a man. His father's threats and beatings had done the opposite of what they were intended to do- they made Draco realize he did not want to take that path. What the other path was, however, he did not know.
Narcissa crept into the room meekly, holding a cup of tea and a large bottle. Draco relaxed at the very sight of his mother, the only person who had ever shown genuine affection for him. Lucius had abused them both, but they always had one another to hold onto when it was all said and done.
Silently, Draco's mother wrapped her arms around him and placed a kiss on his forehead. Then, she considered his face carefully. "Where did he hit you, darling?" she whispered, face full of concern. He pointed to his cheek and his eye. She opened the bottle and applied some to a rag. Then she applied the cream delicately to his new bruises. It was a ritual he was all too familiar with. In the morning, any bruising would be invisible, although the pain would still linger.
Afterward, Narcissa held him for a moment. She whispered, almost too quietly to hear, "You know in your heart what is truly right."
After she left, Draco thought about this comment while he lay in bed. He knew it was meant to guide him, but he still could not decide just where that was.
[A/N- For the last time, PLEASE REVIEW!!]
