Christmas break had finally arrived. Draco sighed as he rode the Hogwarts Express towards London. Of course, he would not admit that he missed Hogwarts; he had a reputation to uphold. But as he sat in the train compartment, listening to his fellow Slytherins conspire against some Hufflepuff first-years, he couldn't help but feel…discontented.
Well, of course not upset. He wasn't a wimp.
"Malfoy, is it a plan then?" Crabbe questioned, snapping Malfoy out of his reprieve.
"Sorry, Crabbe, I was far too distracted by the food covering half your face to listen to a single word you said" Malfoy sneered, earning him several smirks from his friends. Crabbe looked embarrassed for a moment, wiping his face as the others snickered around him.
"We were saying," Goyle continued as if nothing had been said "that we should charm the Gryffindors' brooms to dump them off every time they try to get on!"
"Brilliant, but please, enlighten me on how you plan on doing that?"
"Well…" Crabbe said, timidly searching Malfoy's face before continuing to say "we were hoping you would know".
Malfoy sighed before considering how to respond. They really did need him to be the brains of the operation, and he couldn't resist the power they loved to hand to him
"Well since you asked so nicely, I'll see what I can find in father's library" Malfoy allowed a grin to settle upon his face as Crabbe and Goyle high-fived.
His friends continued their animated chatter as Malfoy settled back into thought. He would need something to keep him occupied at home, although his mother paid no attention his father would surely put him to work if he did not seem busy. He shuddered inwardly at the thought. Malfoy loved the power that came with his name; the intimidation the resemblance to his father gave him. At the same time, however, he knew the resemblance to his father stopped at their appearances. He could play the part well, was all. That's what he constantly told himself, anyways.
The Hogwarts Express shrieked to a stop as the train slowed and Platform 9 ¾ came into focus. Malfoy directed his icy blue stare to the train's main exit and grew angrier when he saw all the peppy students excited to spend the holiday with their families. The noise of their excitement began to give Draco a headache and he groaned. He shoved his way out of his compartment, not bothering to look before he stepped out into the hallway, causing several first-years to bump into each other in an attempt to keep their distance. He turned to look at them and raised an eyebrow when they continued to stare back.
"S-s-sorry Draco" one stuttered, upon noticing the look of pure disgust on Malfoy's face.
"Only my friends call me Draco" he corrected, dusting imagined dirt off his coat as if the act of a first-year calling him Draco had literally muddied his clothes, and without a glance back he turned abruptly on his feet and stalked off towards the exit. The first-years stayed glued in their spots until Malfoy was off the train.
Malfoy sighed as the sunlight hit his eyes, unfiltered by a window. He scanned the crowd for his mother before his eyes discovered his father, Draco's luggage in tow. Draco's stomach tied up in knots. Why on earth would his father bother himself by doing something as mundane as picking his child up from school? Draco shook his head slightly to push the thoughts away as he walked towards his father, trying to keep his face neutral.
"Father", Draco said, in lieu of greeting.
The elder Malfoy made no attempt to acknowledge his son aside from flicking his eyes towards him.
"You're late. We need to leave. Now" Lucius said lowly, and swiftly turned and started walking, leaving Draco to carry all his luggage by himself. Draco hurriedly gathered his belongings and rushed after his father.
"I know, father, I'm sorry-"
"What have I told you about apologizing?" his father said sharply.
"Of course, sir. I know," Draco said slowly, keeping his tone even.
"Right. Anyways, I simply do not care what excuse you have, just make sure it does not happen again".
Draco paused for a moment, wondering how his dad had expected him to be any earlier when he got off the train as soon as he could. He shrugged, knowing better than to bring it up.
"Yes sir".
They walked on in this manner, Lucius seemed to glide over the pavement while Draco lagged ever so slightly behind, until they were away from the crowd. Lucius roughly grabbed Draco's wrist, and with a flash and a pop, they had arrived at Malfoy Manner.
There was a house elf waiting. "Take this luggage, I need to speak to Draco".
The house elf grabbed the belongings as fast as she could and struggled to leave the two alone.
Lucius turned on his son. "How DARE you attempt to embarrass me like that?" he fumed.
Draco made no attempt to reply. He knew it was no good; his father would be mad either way.
He was right.
Draco heard it before he felt it: a sharp smack followed by a sting on his cheek.
"Do you know how hard I work to protect this family's reputation? Do you even care? You are so pathetic, Draco, you were practically groveling at my feet at the train station. Malfoys have more respect for themselves. Do I make myself clear?"
Draco did not have the chance to respond before he felt his father's cane connect with his knee and he hit the ground with a solid thud.
"Do I?" Lucius sneered, hatred dripping from his words.
"Yes, sir. It won't happen again."
"Of course, it won't, you fool", Lucius jeered "now go straight to your room. I don't want to see you until supper, and do try to look presentable, Bella will be joining us".
Draco watched his father storm off from his position on the ground, holding his knee tight with both hands. He muttered a healing spell when his father was out of earshot and then slowly rose to a standing position to ensure the spell worked. It had. He rubbed at his face slowly, distractedly wondering if a handprint would be visible. Annoyance masking the worry he felt about being stuck here for two full weeks, Draco shook his leg out and began stalking towards the manor.
It sure is good to be home.
xXx
As Draco approached the looming Malfoy Manner, his mind raced as he tried to process what had just happened. It wasn't that Draco was surprised by his father's violence, in fact, he would have been more surprised if his father had been happy to see him. Lucius had been able to maintain his composure when they were at the train station because he cared too much about his reputation to have people thinking he was some kind of monster. Although, Draco thought to himself, I'm not sure anyone would call him a monster for how he treats me. I'm Draco Malfoy. It's not like I deserve better.
He sighed when he realized his feet had unwillingly carried him right up to the front door without his noticing. He wished he had somewhere to go, anywhere really, but he knew he could not avoid dinner now that his father had so explicitly told him to be there. Dinner with company usually went one of two ways. Lucius, in an attempt to show off, would harass and belittle Draco to flaunt the power he had. Or, Lucius would put on his best behavior and act politely to impress their guest. Since it was Bellatrix they were dining with, Draco knew better than to hope for the second option.
Inside the manor now, Draco took a moment to appreciate the silence. He had always loved silence. The calm that it brought him was unmistakable. There was something comforting about not being able to hear a single sound even when he strained his ears to. He marveled at how loud his footsteps were in comparison as he slowly climbed the stairs to his room. His echoing footsteps reverberated all around him, and for a moment, he couldn't help but feel small in such a large space. Once he saw the doorway to his room, however, he smiled slightly. He was looking forward to being totally alone for a little while. He quietly slipped inside and closed the door while taking in the sight of his immaculate bedroom.
A large, four-poster bed took up most the room. It was a dark green color that matched the curtains on the expansive window that offered a view of the Malfoys' backyard. Their yard was enormous, full of perfectly kept trees and flowers, and included a stone fountain and several marble busts of past successful relatives that Draco had long since forgotten the names of. Returning his attention to his own room, he opened his mahogany closet doors and admired all his possessions: a brand-new set of wizard's chess, the fastest broomstick money could buy, several dress shirts with dark colored slacks, and an impressive collection of books about medicine, potions, and herbology. If it were up to Draco, he would become an apothecary: mixing his love of potions with his ability to heal. He had learned healing spells ever since his father had begun to physically reprimand him. He would never be allowed to follow these dreams; however, his father would expect him to uphold their family's legacy and continue to be a faithful servant to the Dark Lord. Which he would not do unless his father kept him under the Imperius curse for the rest of his like. Which honestly, Draco thought bitterly, I wouldn't put the past him.
A timid knock suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
Draco slowly approached the door, wondering who it could possibly be, and cracked it open ever so slightly. The house elf from before could be seen warily eyeing Draco and holding something behind her back.
"Sorry to disturb you, sir, but Tiki has something you may be wanting, sir" the house elf said in a rushed squeak.
"Yes, well, what is it?" Draco said somewhat impatiently.
The house elf took her hands from behind her back to reveal two things: an ice pack and a tie. "Master said sir shall be needing this tie for tonight's dinner. And Tiki thought little master might be needing this ice, since she saw earlier when master-"
"That's enough, Tiki" Draco scowled as he roughly grabbed the two objects from her hand before shutting the door and stalking towards his bed. He thoughtfully inspected the tie before bringing the ice pack towards his cheek. The cold stung a little, but after he was over the initial shock, it felt better.
He could not help but feel bad for Tiki. She had just been trying to help Draco, and simply by bringing him the ice, she had endangered herself. But he couldn't show appreciation. Feelings like that made him weak, and more than anything Draco needed to be strong. Ever since Voldemort's return at the end of fourth year, his father had become volatile. Not that his father had ever been overly compassionate, but before, he would keep his distance and correct Draco's behavior when he saw fit. Now, however, even the smallest of things that weren't even Draco's fault could set the man off. Physical punishment almost seemed lenient to the hurled insults and twisted spells Draco had been exposed to over the summer. He had learned months ago that his father would find fault in him no matter what he did, but Draco had to at least try to act his part. Reputation was of the utmost importance to the Malfoys, so by acting like a cold-hearted bastard, he both protected himself from his father and from the concern of others. Forcing himself to think of other things for a while, he drifted off imagining Harry Potter and his loyal followers tumbling off enchanted broomsticks.
xXx
A/N: Well hi! Thanks for giving this story a(nother) chance. I know this is 95% the same as the previous one published, but new content will be seen starting in chapter 3 (which is already typed, but I'm trying to pace myself lol). As always, let me know what you think and ask if there's anything I can clarify.