Malfoy Hiding

Draco wandered around the streets in Muggle London as he wondered what to do. It was after the Final Battle and his family was currently hiding in Muggle London. They were hiding from the media and more importantly from vengeful Deatheaters and the Ministry of Magic.

Draco could remember the man behind of this chaos. Lord Voldemort. or Tom Riddle. A half-blood who had terrorized the Wizarding World for many years. His group of minions carving destruction everywhere they decided to appear.

Everything was perfect when Draco was born. The Dark Lord had supposingly been killed and his father had managed to evade being thrown into the Azakaban. Then, everything turned downhill in 6th year, when Draco was forced to accept the Dark Mark. Draco shuddered in thought. He could still feel the burn and pain when he was first marked. He had cried for days until the pain had disappeared.

Then, he was given the worst assignment from the Dark Lord. He had commanded Draco to find a way to get the Deatheaters into Hogwarts and to somehow manage to kill the headmaster, Dumbledore. He had done that with horrible guilt racing through his body. He wanted to tell anyone, but knew if he did, the Ministry would be after his family. He was so happy when Potter defeated the Dark Lord. Even if they had to live the rest of their lives with the Muggles, he thought it was better than living in fear of the Dark Lord. Oh how he wish that Tom Riddle had never existed.

Draco could see the apartment his family occupied for now. It was decent. Clean, spacious, and more importantly just the right distance away from Diagon Alley that Draco would still be able to visit disguised, but the Ministry would never think to look here. After all, who would think that the Pureblood Malfoys would live with "filthy Mudbloods"? Exactly. No one.

As he entered the complex, he could see his mother was attempting to cook dinner at the kitchen. His mother's cooking was okay since she had loved to cook when she was younger but was restricted. A smile was on his mother's face. Draco was happy that his mother was enjoying herself. After all she has done for the family; this was a nice change for her. Draco's father was working at a local bank. The pay was okay, but not enough. Draco was trying to find work for days, but his skills were limited in what he could do. A slam of the door indicated that Lucius was home. His job was tiring, and he was often crabby when he got home. Draco immediately began to set the table. His father walked into the eating area. His eyes were baggy and worn. His boss was cruel and often mean. Lucius complained about him for days, but began to understand that this was a norm in the Muggle world.

Narcissa spoke, "Dear, how was your day?"

Lucius sighed, "It was terrible. Someone mixed up half of the customers' statements for the accounts. Of course Joe made me sort them. That took me 2 hours to do, and then there were so many customers today. I had to skip lunch to cover someone else's shift."

"Hmmm. Draco, did you get a job, yet?"

"No, mother. The job I applied for today said that I needed to work on being happy. Hah."

"Draco, perhaps you should show more emotion on your face. That way more people would want to hire you."

"Perhaps."

"Oh my! Today, I met our neighbors for the first time. They are all so nice. One even brought some homemade cookies. Another asked if Draco could babysit her children while she went to work tomorrow. I, of course, said yes. So, Draco, don't forget to bring something that the children can play with. Children love it when babysitters bring a new toy."

"Mom….why did you volunteer me?"

"Draco! You know that it is good to be nice to the neighbors. Plus, you just sit around half the day. You need to go and to something."

"Mooooom…"

"Draco."

"Okay, Mom"

"Good! Make sure to be at apartment 2H at 9:00 am."

Draco huffed in annoyance. Why did his mom always volunteer him for stuff he didn't want to do? It was so much simpler back then. He helped his mother clean the dishes. Then, he walked into his room. His room was neat with a bed plus a desk. The desk was practically empty except for some writing materials and a lamp. Draco saw no use for the desk since he did not go to school anymore. But, it came with the apartment. His bed was twin size with green and silver comforters. The bed was soft and comfortable. He sank into the bed and stared at the ceiling. The ceiling had someone's attempt to create the night sky with stars. It was okay if you got over the fact that some of the stars were a bit messed up. Draco's eyes drooped. He was tired from all the attempts he did to attain a job today. He quickly changed into his pajamas. His eyes closed and his mind fell asleep.

His last thought was: Hopefully, this life will turn for the better soon.