The Devil Before He Was the Devil
~Oh darling don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up, just stay this little…~
The moon was bright as it shone down in the night sky, over looking the large grass field, the iron wrought fence, and the looming figure of the Malfoy Manor. Most of the lights in the large, five story manor was off, leaving it to look as though everyone inside it had gone to bed, which most everyone had trailed off to bed by now. Everyone expect one.
The fire place crackled merrily in the stone fire place, flashing shadows upon the walls, the tips of its flames licking at the top of the hearth. All the lights were off, causing the fire to be the only source of light in the dark living room.
A woman sat in on of the chairs in the large, spacious room, staring into the fire place with a glazed look in her steely gray eyes. Her arms cradled something, something wrapped in a dark green blanket. A head leaned on her shoulder, pale with blond white hair, and little hands grip at Narcissa's as she glanced down at her little boy, who had fallen fast asleep well over an hour ago. Narcissa just didn't have the heart to move him.
His eyelids twitched every so often, as though he were dreaming, dreaming about the wildest of things.
Perhaps he was flying over the mountains, or in the deepest of oceans, perhaps he was at Hogwarts or even home. Perhaps his imagination had taken him to his own land, a land where everything is right, and there's nothing going on in the world. Perhaps it's a place where nothing is happening at all, and he's making the best of it.
Narcissa leaned her head down and gently placed her lips against the top of Draco's head, tightening her hold on him momentarily. His pale lips were parted in the smallest of ways, and his breath was light and even.
Taking a calming breath, Narcissa slowly lumbered to her feet, placing a hand on Draco's back to keep him pressed against her as she started out of the room. One of the house elves would no doubt get the fire, so Narcissa needn't disturb Draco in order to pull out her wand and turn it off.
Lucius had already gone up to bed. He had, had a long day at work at the Ministry today, and he needed his rest.
Narcissa pushed open Draco's bedroom door with her foot and walked inside towards the small bed, pulling back the sheets and placing Draco down. She reached down and pulled off his sock before pulling his shirt easily and gently from over his head, lying him down and pulling the covers up to his chin.
In all the time that Narcissa was moving him around, Draco didn't stir once, his eyelids continued to twitch every so often, and his breathing remained light and steady.
Narcissa folded up Draco's shirt and socks before placing them on the chair beside his desk and reaching a hand up to touch the top of his light. A faint light flooded from the corner of the room, where a small golden snitch night light sat, already plugged in and on.
Narcissa leaned down and kissed the top of Draco's forehead before she turned and walked out, leaving the door open a slight crack.
"Vrooooooom, vroom, vroooom!" Draco yelled as he rounded the table for the third time, his arms straight out, flapping as though he were a large, dangerous dragon. His little socked feet smacked against the hard wood floor over and over again as he giggled, momentarily looking his 'dangerous dragon' façade.
"Draco, would you please sit down," Lucius asked in a tired voice, eating a forkful of eggs as he watched Draco round the table a fourth time, either completely ignoring his father or simply not hearing him.
"Draco, that's enough," Lucius tried again, his voice tightening just a little bit. Draco giggled as he rounded his father's chair again, reaching out and poking his father in the shoulder before he continued on his way. Lucius ran a hand through his hair and shot Narcissa a look.
By the time Draco was making his way around the table again, Lucius' hand shot out and grabbed a hold of Draco's upper arm, yanking him to a stand still and placing him into his chair.
"Draco, I told you to stop." Lucius said finally, his voice stern and disapproving. He let go of Draco's arm and began eating again. Narcissa was watching Draco closely, as he pursed his pale lips together. He was... fighting back laughter! His gray eyes danced in merriment as he watched his father, pursing his lips together to hold back a smile.
Lucius finally glanced up and his eyes caught sight of Draco watching him. Setting down his fork, Lucius scrutinized Draco's face quickly before he said,
"You think me yelling at you is funny?" Draco cracked a smile, and then a wider smile, and then a giggle before he nodded.
Lucius sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair again, going back to his breakfast. Draco looked at his mother, who smirked ever so gently, before he jumped up again and began running around the table in his quest to vanquish an villagers who dare go against him.
"Vroooom, vroom, vroooooooom!"
"This is the Golden Snitch, Draco. This is what the Seeker goes after. You remember what I told you about the seeker right?"
Draco swung his arms idly back and forth, side to side, and up and down as his father explained the rules of Quidditch to him. At this question, Draco nodded his head eagerly, to show that he had indeed been paying attention.
Lucius rolled the Golden Snitch around in his fingers before he held it out to Draco, who immediately became still and stared at it, as though in a trance.
"You have to hold onto it extremely tight, ok?" Draco nodded his head, gingerly reaching a hand up and taking hold of the little golden ball in his fingers. He looked at it this way and that, turned it around and around, before he smiled and said, "I like it." Lucius nodded his head and stood to his feet, placing a hand on the top of Draco's head, who was too busy examining the little golden ball to realize anything else.
"Come on boys, dinner is ready!" Draco held out the little golden ball to Lucius, who took it and put it back in the box, closing it up tight.
Draco leaned down and 'helped' Lucius carry the box back inside, even though the box was only a little smaller than him, and he didn't really do much to carry the weight.
By the time they had reached the kitchen, Draco had abandoned the box in the living room and had left his father to tend to it. When his father came into the kitchen and began preparing a plate, Draco walked over to stand beside him, watching him closely.
"Potatoes?"
"Yes."
"Roll?"
"Yes."
Lucius prepared Draco's small plate, small because Draco had a very picky appetite, before he set the plate down and began making himself another one. Draco did what any Quidditch player would do when their team mate had done a good job.
He smacked his father, right in the butt. Lucius smirked gently, shaking his head. Draco leaned his shoulder against Lucius' hip, watching as he prepared another plate, unaware of his mother's lurking eyes, watching him from her spot at the table.
The sound of little running feet was easily picked up in the large Malfoy Manor. The sun shone down brightly onto the large stone walls. Giggles and laughter echoed around the house as Narcissa sat in the living room, entertaining guests, and Lucius was down in the basement, talking about work with his co-workers.
Draco came plowing down the stairs, his blond white hair flopping in his eyes. He stopped two from the bottom and took a flying leap, landing on his feet with a loud 'thud' before he turned and hurried down another hallway.
Two small figures hurried down the stairs after him. A small girl, with short cut black and dark brown eyes came next, waiting until the first step from the bottom before jumping off and hurrying after Draco. The girl looked smaller than Draco was, though they looked the same age. The next boy was taller than Draco, but only by about two inches. His black hair bounced in his dark brown eyes as he jumped third from the bottom and hurried after the other two.
Around the corner, down the hallway, up the stairs, down the hall, down the stairs, out the front door, around the house, through the yard, in the back door, into the main foyer, through the kitchen, through the dining room, into the living room- The three children didn't seem like they were going to be stopping for anything any time soon; Draco always in the lead with Blaise and Pansy close behind him.
Innocent, care free, young.
Draco flung the door open to his parents room and hurtled inside. His father had already left for work, and Narcissa was still in bed. Draco hurried for the bed and catapulted onto it, pulling the blankets from his mother and giggling.
"Happy birthday mum!" Draco yelled, throwing his little hands in the air. Narcissa smiled gently and pulled him down into a tight hug. Draco leaned back against the pillows, leaning against his mother, before he asked, looking up at her, "What do you want for your birthday mum?"
Narcissa ran her fingers through Draco's hand lightly, her eyes glazing over momentarily as she began to think. Draco watched with expectancy. Finally, Narcissa smiled down at her little boy.
"A promise."
Draco nodded his head.
"Promise me you'll never grow up."
Draco smiled gently.
"I promise mother."
It was a promise, she knew, he could not keep.