"I love you," Abraxas Malfoy often told his son.
It was almost funny how Abraxas Malfoy only spoke those words after he had struck or punished Lucius in some way.
It would have been funny if it had not been so painful.
But Abraxas always insisted that he was doing it for Lucius's own good. He just wanted his son to learn his lessons. He just wanted his son to be the best. What was so wrong with that?
The Dark Lord had never told Lucius that he loved him, not even after he had hurt the young boy for some offense. Sometimes, the punishment was so severe that Lucius forget what he had been punished for in the first place.
The Dark Lord reminded Lucius a lot of his father.
His father said that he loved him. So, why had the Dark Lord never spoken those same words?
Lucius was alone one night with the Dark Lord. They were sitting together in Abraxas Malfoy's private study. Abraxas had decided that Lucius was old enough to speak alone with the great wizard.
Lucius was eight-years-old, and he couldn't be prouder of himself. Surely there weren't many eight-year-olds that were old enough to speak alone with the Dark Lord.
"You have learned your lessons very well, Lucius," the Dark Lord remarked at one point.
"Thank you, my Lord."
The Dark Lord looked at Lucius with an expression that made the young boy feel very small and insignificant.
Lucius was used to this look. His father, after all, often looked at him the same way.
It was almost funny how similar Abraxas Malfoy and the Dark Lord were to each other.
The Dark Lord, however, had never told Lucius that he loved him. Not like Abraxas had.
"My Lord," Lucius spoke in a hesitant voice, surprised by his sudden boldness, "may I ask you a question?"
The Dark Lord looked surprised for a moment. There was also a trace of anger in his eyes. He was not used to anyone asking him any questions.
Lucius held his breath and tensed up, expecting to be hit with ether a curse or a fist at any moment. What had he been thinking? So much for being old enough to talk alone with the Dark Lord.
To Lucius's surprise and relief, however, there was no punishment. Instead, after a moment, the Dark Lord seemed to have composed himself.
"Certainly, Lucius," he finally spoke, "you may ask me a question. Your education is as important to me as it is to your father."
There it was again, the similarity between his father and the Dark Lord.
Lucius took a deep breath. He still couldn't believe that he was actually going to ask the Dark Lord this question.
But he had to ask it. His father had always said he was much too curious for his own good.
Lucius had received many punishments for his curiosity.
He should have learned his lesson by now.
But Lucius was still a curious boy. He just had to know the answers to his questions, despite the consequences.
"Do you love me?" Lucius blurted out.
The Dark Lord was speechless for several moments.
"What makes you ask such a question, Lucius?" The threat of danger was clear in the Dark Lord's voice.
"Well, I know that you and my father are very close," Lucius replied, "and he is always telling me that he loves me. I just thought you felt the same way. I apologize if I assumed wrong."
"Your father and I come from different backgrounds," the Dark Lord responded. "Your father may believe in love, but I don't. I think of love as nothing more than just some silly concept for the weak."
"But my father isn't weak," Lucius insisted, forgetting for a moment who he was speaking to.
The Dark Lord narrowed his eyes.
"Forgive me, my Lord," Lucius spoke quickly. "I'm sure you weren't trying to imply that my father is weak. You wouldn't have anything to do with him if he was weak. You're much too strong and powerful for that."
"Well spoken, Lucius," the Dark Lord breathed. "And no, I wasn't saying anything against your father. I know that his concept of love is different from how the weak describe it."
"My father's love is very painful," Lucius responded. "I can see why you wouldn't care much for love, my Lord."
The Dark Lord laughed. It was such an unusual sound for Lucius to hear, however, that it sent chills down his spine. There wasn't anything pleasant about the Dark Lord's laugh.
Just like there was never anything pleasant about Abraxas Malfoy's laugh.
"You are wise beyond your years, Lucius," the Dark Lord continued to laugh.
Then, he turned serious. "But never again mention love to me. There is no such thing as love in the way that the weak view it. There is only power and pain. Power for those who are strong, and pain for those who are weak. That is what your father means when he says that he loves you, Lucius. The pain he gives you is for your own benefit. He doesn't want you to be weak. He wants you to be powerful. He wants what's best for you. You should be grateful that your father loves you in this way and not in the way that the weak show their love.
"Yes, my Lord," Lucius replied.
A part of the young boy, though, still believed that the Dark Lord loved him.
The Dark Lord often gave him pain, just like his father did. And like his father, the Dark Lord wanted him to learn his lessons so that he wouldn't be weak.
The Dark Lord was too much like his father to not love him.