The Black Hearts
Chapter I: The Letter
By: Angel Vanilla (AV)
Draco Malfoy was extremely confused at the moment. As of yesterday, he had learned several things… One, that he had been accepted to a very good wizarding university that was well hidden (he would be perfectly safe there), two, that he had in his possession one of Voldemort's horcruxes, and three, that he was not the child of Narcissa (Black) Malfoy and Lucius Malfoy. He had no idea who his true parents were, as his mother could not tell him and his father—the only one who could have told him—had disappeared shortly after giving him a letter stating that he was not their child.
The blonde boy sighed, and sat down on the bed, next to his already packed trunk, to read the letter once more:
Dear Draco,
You must know first, before I tell you anything at all, that your mother and I love you. Please keep that in mind, Draco.
But the fact is, that you are not Draco Malfoy, as you have always thought. Your mother and I thought it best not to tell you, as your parents had asked me not to let you know who they were.
I can, however, tell you something: your true name is Daniel Ryan Thompson, and your parents are quite well, but also just as unable to take you as they were when you were a baby.
This changes nothing about my feelings towards you, Draco. You are my son, and always will be, even if I am not your real father.
Please take care of Narcissa for me, and don't try and make her tell you who your parents are, as she has no idea who they are. I cannot tell you, as I said, at their request. Trust me, Draco, they have their own good reasons for it.
Your loving father,
Lucius Malfoy
It had been two weeks since the letter had come. After that, Draco had made sure that his mother would be taken care of by the Order, before accepting the invitation from a magical college that had come sometime during his sixth year.
He enrolled himself as Daniel Ryan Thompson, which was not only his real name, but it would also keep him even safer while hiding from Death Eaters and Voldemort.
Draco—well, Daniel—was quite lucky to get into this school, even though he had missed his seventh year. The only reason he was being accepted at Veri was because he had been far ahead of everyone else at Hogwarts, and would already be at the same level or actually higher than the others that had gone through their seventh year.
"Draco, dear?" His mother called quietly from outside of his room, "It's time for dinner." Draco stood, running a hand through his hair. He hadn't spoken to his mother much since he had received Lucius' letter. It wasn't that his feelings towards her had changed—he still loved her as much as he had before, if not more. (Who else would take in some child that their husband had just brought home one day, announcing that his real parents couldn't take him and that they had to raise him? He certainly wouldn't have.) But it was uncomfortable for him to be around her, thinking about how everything he thought he had known had been a lie.
"I'll be right there, Mother," He answered. Draco smiled sadly as he called her that. It was what she was. Even if she had not given birth to him, Narcissa Malfoy was still—and always would be—his mother.
A minute later he was sitting next to his mother in the kitchen (they never used the dining room anymore—they hated using that long table), eating in silence.
"Draco," Narcissa said, not looking up from her food. He noticed that she had hardly touched any of it at all. "I don't want you to go. I'll miss you. I want to know that you'll be safe…"
"Mother, I will be safe. I know you'll miss me, and I'll miss you, too, but we'll both be safer this way," Draco told her, placing his hand on top of her own. She smiled sadly at him.
"I know, darling. I know that…"
Draco mentally grinned as he pictured the expressions on the faces of the Gryffindors back at Hogwarts if they could have seen this conversation with his mother. They would have been shocked to find that he wasn't actually a cold, heartless, unfeeling prat.
After dinner was over, they had waited in the living room for the two Order of the Phoenix members that were coming to collect Narcissa and take her to the Order of the Phoenix Headquarters.
They heard the knocker, and Narcissa gave him once last hug and placed a kiss on his forehead before opening the door, revealing Remus Lupin and Nyphadora Tonks.
"Nyphadora?" Narcissa said, greeting her cousin. She nodded, smiling.
"'Cissi," Nyphadora answered. Lupin smiled, and nodded at Draco. The blonde boy nodded back, and watched as they escorted his mother out of the house. He watched them until they were out of sight, and then closed the door.
Draco climbed back up the stairs to his bedroom, the last night he would spend in it. Once again he sat beside his trunk, the one that now had the initials "D.R.T." on it.
Tomorrow he would begin his life over again, this time as Daniel Ryan Thompson.
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I know, I know. Kind of weird, and I should be working on my Teen Titans fics. Oh well. Please review! Flames will be used to make smores. . Vanilla