"Lucius, Are you ready yet?"
"Yes, father! Just… Just give me one moment please!"
Abraxas Malfoy sighed, his foot tapping impatiently on the marble floor as his gaze shifted from the top of the grand staircase to his pocketwatch. It was half an hour to eleven. The elder Malfoy clicked his tongue, tucking the pocketwatch back into his cloak pocket. "Well, son, you best be hurrying!" he called up the staircase, "Unless you intend on missing the train on your first day."
"I will be down in a moment!"
Abraxas shook his head, a small smile on his face. He knew full well that Lucius was already ready to go eversince the day the letter, or rather letters, arrived on that fateful day. Hogwarts and Durmstrang had sent their acceptance letters at the same time, causing a minor spell of confusion for the young boy. Abraxas chuckled at the memory, remembering how one night he was seated behind his desk sorting out business papers when suddenly Lucius came bursting through the door holding both a beige and black envelope with an ecstatic but utterly confused look on his face.
"Father, what do you think would be better?" Lucius asked, looking up to his father as he laid both envelopes down on the desk. Abraxas sighed, leaning back on his chair and taking a long drag from the pipe, making a face that suggested he was considering the question.
"Personally, I'd say Hogwarts, son." He replied, gesturing to the beige envelope with the pipe still in hand. "It's the first and oldest wizarding school and naturally – the best of the lot. And I went to Hogwarts myself when I was younger. Most of our ancestors did. It was even said that Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders and head of our house: Slytherin, tutored the first Malfoy children in England." He smiled at his son who was looking at him, gray eyes wide with wonder. He loved telling Lucius stories as much as he loved hearing them. Part of the reason why he chose to send him to Hogwarts was that for one, it was closer to them unlike Durmstrang and two, he doesn't feel like the 'special' curriculum offered in the Bulgarian school would be any good for his son's impressionable young mind. But right now, Lucius didn't need to know those reasons.
"Hmm…" Lucius hummed, making a face. He moved his hand towards the Hogwarts envelope only to hover over the Durmstrang one too. "Grandmere and Grandpere want me to go to Durmstrang…"
"Of course they would," Abraxas sneered in his mind, biting his lip slightly to keep the words from coming out. "Really now? How did you know Lucius?"
"They told me about it once, on my eleventh birthday," Lucius said, playing with the bit of loose thread on the seat. "Said it was really nice… And they teach a lot more practical stuff about the Dark Arts there than at Hogwarts. And there are no filthy mudblood students there. Granpere says it's the perfect place for a pureblood boy like me." Once he had finished, he raised his head to look at his father again. Abraxas sighed, taking another drag from his pipe. Despite the animosity between him and his deceased wife's parents, he knew that Lucius still had affection for them. They raised him for quite the few years of his life afterall, until Abraxas won the custody case to be in custody of his own son, so it was natural that he still had the urge to please them. But as far as Abraxas was concerned, his ex-parent in laws could care less about what Lucius would really want – they just want something to mold into a crazy and irrational pureblood idealist. As much as he supported the doctrine himself, he doesn't fancy the idea of his son becoming a killer in the name of said doctrine. That's not what his wife wanted and certainly not what he wanted.
"Well… It's up to you, Luc." Abraxas, placing the pipe down on its stand, resting his elbows on the desk while his hands folded beneath his chin. "Durmstrang might be good… But it's way farther than Hogwarts and probably don't have as much Holidays as Hogwarts. But wherever you choose to go, it's your choice."
Lucius sighed, looking between the two envelopes, growing very quiet. Abraxas knew something was brewing in his child's mind. It was a trait that he had learned from him, keeping irrationally silent when faced with a troubling thought. "Lucius, do not worry much," he attempted to put his son's mind at ease, "Return owls are not due for another two weeks. You do not necessarily have to decide right now. You've got plenty of time." Abraxas smiled but only briefly when he saw his son's head still bowed down in thought. "Luc – "
"What do you think Mother would say?"
The question was so soft that if the room wasn't so quiet Abraxas would've missed it. His mouth hung slightly agape, watching his son who was playing with his fingers uncomfortably. Yet another trait he had gotten from his mother. He sighed, turning on the chair so that he was facing the fireplace, but more importantly at the gigantic wedding portrait that hung above it. The portrait showed a slightly younger looking Abraxas dressed in a charcoal gray suit, smiling slightly and a young woman with bright blonde hair that fell to her shoulders in curls dressed in an immaculate white wedding gown, their hands clasped around each other's'. "Oh what would she say…" he mused out loud, seeing that Lucius had followed his lead and was now looking at the portrait too. "Well, I think she'd say Hogwarts…"
"Why do you say so?" Lucius asked quizzically.
"She went to Hogwarts with me," Abraxas smiled reminiscently, looking at the woman in the picture lovingly. "She always went on about how much she loved the castle, the grounds and most especially the library. The library was her sanctuary. She stayed there day and night, rain or shine, test or no test, getting lost in her books. That's where you got your love for literature, son," he turned back towards Lucius, "Of course some of it came from me, but for the most part, it was her."
Lucius smiled slightly. He did love Abraxas' stories about their family, the noble and superior House of Malfoy but he loved his tales about the mother he never met the most. He felt a pleasant sense of importance when he got compared to his mother. "So… You think mother would've wanted me to go to Hogwarts?"
"I believe so," Malfoy senior nodded fervently, "and if my tongue lies, let me get struck by lightning right now."
Malfoy junior laughed before composing himself once more, looking at the two letters on the desk again. After a moment's thoughts, he breathed in a deep breath and reached out for the Hogwarts letter. Abraxas smiled at his son, taking the Durmstrang envelope away as he watched him tear the paper apart, taking out the traditional welcoming letter that came along with it. "You'll make a fine Slytherin, son." He added, "Hogwarts will have gained a fine addition to their roster of brilliant children."
But Lucius was no longer listening to the praise, and instead was busy reading through the school shopping list. "Umm… Father - ?"
"Yes, son?"
"Am I allowed to bring a peacock to school?"
"Ready, father!"
Abraxas was broken out of his thoughts, turning his attention towards Lucius who was running down the steps followed by about three house elves carrying along his trunk. "About time, really," he chided playfully as his son joined him on the bottom of the steps. "Now, what took you so long? You had your trunk packed a good month ago!"
"Just… Triple checking everything, father." Lucius stated confidently, "Wouldn't want to owl you telling you I forgot something, right? And besides, Araceli absolutely refused to get in his cage. Nasty boy," he looked towards the Eagle Owl which was perched quietly in his cage with a frown before looking back. It did take some convincing (and a few letters addressed to Dumbledore) to persuade Lucius to go and buy either a cat or an owl (toads were out of the question) because peacocks weren't a valid pet at Hogwarts. Thankfully, he let the topic drop and just settled for an owl instead. "But I am ready now."
Abraxas nodded, taking out the golden pocket watch again, donning a look of surprise. "We better get to the station and fast," he said hurriedly, walking out the door with Lucius and the elves in tow. The elves apparated away with the trunk first. Once the master of the house was out, the door to the manor shut closed. Abraxas continued to walk out until he was past the metal gate and out of the safety net of his home's protective enchantments which prevented apparition inside the grounds. He held his arm out, "Ready?"
Lucius looked up to his father and nodded with a confident smirk, taking hold of Abraxas' arm. A small popping noise later and father and son disappeared from view. A few minutes later, they both re-appeared in the muggle part of King's cross station, hurrying through the crowd of muggles to avoid catching attention. Soon enough, they both reached the legendary brick wall between Platforms 9 and 10 where other magical children were being escorted through the passage. Lucius had to blink twice when he saw the boy in front of them disappear through the wall. Abraxas chuckled, giving him a slight push on the shoulder.
"Just run quickly through it, son. You'll find yourself in Platform 9 ¾ faster than you can blink. I'll be right behind you."
Lucius nodded stiffly as he stepped forward in front of the brick wall. Squaring his tiny shoulders, the young boy began to walk briskly towards the wall and melted right through it. Abraxas smiled proudly and stepped through the portal himself only to see his young son standing there, watching the scarlet and black Hogwarts express with awe. "Let's go, son…" He said, taking his son's hand and lead him through the crowd though Lucius' eyes never left the train. They walked towards the mid-section of the train where most students wearing the characteristic silver and green were already boarding.
"But what about my trunk, father?" the shorter blonde asked and Abraxas bent down to his son's height, tucking the stray strands of ice blonde hair behind his ear.
"Don't worry son, the elves have put them in the luggage compartment. They will be delivered to your dormitories after the sorting so don't get your hair in a knot worrying about them, okay?" he smiled at him, adjusting the black tie and fixing up his robe. "Be a good student now. Study hard and study well. Use magic wisely, alright? I don't want to hear any reports about you being a reckless and rambunctious child. Remember, you carry the family name when you get there. A Malfoy does not let anything get the better of him." Lucius remained quiet, which his father quickly picked up on, "What's the matter? Where did all your energy go, my boy?"
"Will you be okay, father?" Lucius asked quietly. Seeing his father's taken aback expression, he chose to elaborate, "I mean… Without me you'll be alone."
"I'll be fine, son." Abraxas smiled reassuringly, placing a firm hand on his son's shoulder. "I have lots of things to do, business to attend to, trips to go, people to see… I'll keep myself occupied until you come home for Christmas. So don't worry about that either, okay, Luc?"
Lucius' frown curved up to a smile. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the shrill trill of the train whistle. "You better get on board!" Abraxas said hurriedly, "The train will leave in two minutes."
The young boy nodded and ran towards the train doors only to stop, turn around and go back to his father. Abraxas watched confused as his son came running back to him until he felt the young boy crash into his arms in a tight hug. "I'll miss you father," he said softly, only intending for his father to hear. Abraxas sighed, wrapping his arms around his son too.
"I'll miss you too, Lucius…" he whispered back. The more they stayed hugging like this, the more he felt the need to never let his child go when suddenly, the second whistle blew. "Go on!" he called and Lucius untangled himself, jumping on board the train only to pop his head out of a window. "Goodbye, father!" Lucius hollered from where he was just as the train began to move. This was it. There was no going back for the both of them.
"Goodbye, Lucius!" he called back watching closely until he saw the head of blonde hair go back inside the window and the train was out of view. That was it. From now on, he would have no control over what would influence his young son or how safe he could be. He allowed his most prized possession, the one living legacy of his wife Castella, to go out and step into the dangerous world. Abraxas knew that this would be the start of his son growing up and very soon, he would start to lose control and influence over his son. His little boy was going to become a man. But he knew one thing. He would always be there to be his son's light. Should he ever stray, he would be there to guide him.
Short one shot been brewing in my head for sometime. Might as well post it. Hooray for sweet daddy Braxy~ :D
