Daphne: Here is the side story to 'The Phoenix's Prophecy'. It would be a
good thing to read this, before reading the sequel, but it's not required.
I'd also like to assure you that this is not a slash fic, just in case you
think otherwise by the end of this chapter!
Anyway, please enjoy this story, and please review to tell me what you think!
***DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of the characters created by JK Rowling. I do, however, own the made up characters such as Stephen and Kaitlynn, so do not copy them!***
~*~*~*~
To Be A Malfoy
by: Daphne Li
Prologue
~*~*~*~
I wasn't daft. I knew that Goyle had been working on Dumbledore's side for quite some time. I had seen the way he shot looks at Potter, and that weasel of a Weasley girl. I also knew that Cassia would never join Voldemort's side either. She had never been that type.
Because she was younger, father had given her more freedom. He hadn't been as harsh on her. But I was the first-born. The only male. The heir of the Malfoy fortune, and the one who would carry on the Malfoy name and ideals. Therefore I had to be formed into the perfect person...No, let me rephrase that. I had to be the perfect Malfoy.
That's what I was. A sycophant. A kiss-up to the Dark Lord. A pathetic minion to Voldemort's doings. I had to bow to the Dark Lord's mandate. I had to bend to my father's will. I had to do as I was told, believe what I was told, not question what I was told. And for quite some time, that's just what I did.
Father wanted me to hate muggles and muggle-borns. I didn't dare argue. He wanted me to be a Slytherin. I couldn't expect to be anywhere else, so why bother asking? He wanted me to be superior. So I would be at the top, nothing wrong with that. I had to be friends with other pure-bloods. No problem, but they can be such blockheads. He wanted me to marry a pure- blooded woman. Not to hard to do...was it?
I never questioned anything my father told me, except for the few times I saw my sister rebel. My tiny little sister, with her golden curls like silk, and her blue eyes like the stormy seas. So young, so fragile, yet she dared to argue and question. She dared to go against our father, no matter what the punishment. These were the few times when I would actually wonder if perhaps, what my father was saying was wrong.
But that was always quashed when he punished her and sent her away, turning his attention back to me. I was to ask no questions. I was to be a good boy and follow Voldemort. I was to be a Death Eater like my father.
It was that last thing, that caused me to shiver every time I heard him say it. Yes, it showed weakness, and many a-time I was beaten for it. But the idea of following that man and doing his deeds, made my entire being rebel. To this day I don't know why. Perhaps even then I had heart enough to dread people dying by my hand...or by the hands of people I was aquatinted with.
Perhaps that is why I am now at a crossroads. I have been given a chance, for the first time in my life. I have the choice of what to do with my own life. My father can't make it for me, nor can Voldemort, my sister, my mother, or anyone else. Just me. Only Draco Malfoy.
As I stand on the train platform in Hogsmede, I allow my gaze to turn back to the place I called 'home' for the past seven years. Hogwarts still stands tall and majestic, despite it's having been the site of one of the greatest battles in history. Its grey-colored stone stands out against the green hills and blue sky, but at the same time it seems to almost blend in with the rest of the scenery.
Hearing a train whistle, I turn around to see the train coming down the track. I am alone on the platform, because everyone else is still back at the school, celebrating Voldemort's downfall and the graduation of the seventh years. But I'm no longer welcome there. I have no place, I have no set future. I am simply Draco Malfoy, here and now.
"Malfoy."
I turn, startled. Behind me stands Potter, his unruly hair blowing into his face as the train stops. Our eyes meet, and for a moment, I feel something tightening...in my chest. It's not happiness at seeing him, because I most certainly am not. But it's something else...
"What?" I grunt. His green eyes narrow. Then he says something that I know I will never forget.
"If you ever need anything, I'll be here." He said, his voice giving no clue as to what he was thinking. Then our eyes met again, and I knew. We may not be friends, we may even hate each other, but we have a mutual understanding. One that will stick with us for the rest of our lives.
"Thanks, Potter." I mutter, realizing that it was probably the only time I've ever thanked him. He looks startled for a moment, then I see his mouth quirk up.
"Anytime. Take care, Draco." Again, his words startle me. He called me by my first name. Just this once, I suppose it's alright to reciprocate.
"You too, Harry."
With this, I get onto the train. I find an empty compartment and put my things away, sinking into the seat when I'm through. As the train moves away, I look out the window and see him still standing there, looking off into the distance.
And I realize something.
Someone cared about what happened to me.
Even though he hated me, he cared enough to let me know that I wasn't alone. That I had someone to go to when times got rough. That I had a future, and this was the start of it.
As the train began to move faster, I had only one thought before I fell asleep.
'Maybe, just maybe, Potter's not so bad after all.'
~*~*~*~
Anyway, please enjoy this story, and please review to tell me what you think!
***DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of the characters created by JK Rowling. I do, however, own the made up characters such as Stephen and Kaitlynn, so do not copy them!***
~*~*~*~
To Be A Malfoy
by: Daphne Li
Prologue
~*~*~*~
I wasn't daft. I knew that Goyle had been working on Dumbledore's side for quite some time. I had seen the way he shot looks at Potter, and that weasel of a Weasley girl. I also knew that Cassia would never join Voldemort's side either. She had never been that type.
Because she was younger, father had given her more freedom. He hadn't been as harsh on her. But I was the first-born. The only male. The heir of the Malfoy fortune, and the one who would carry on the Malfoy name and ideals. Therefore I had to be formed into the perfect person...No, let me rephrase that. I had to be the perfect Malfoy.
That's what I was. A sycophant. A kiss-up to the Dark Lord. A pathetic minion to Voldemort's doings. I had to bow to the Dark Lord's mandate. I had to bend to my father's will. I had to do as I was told, believe what I was told, not question what I was told. And for quite some time, that's just what I did.
Father wanted me to hate muggles and muggle-borns. I didn't dare argue. He wanted me to be a Slytherin. I couldn't expect to be anywhere else, so why bother asking? He wanted me to be superior. So I would be at the top, nothing wrong with that. I had to be friends with other pure-bloods. No problem, but they can be such blockheads. He wanted me to marry a pure- blooded woman. Not to hard to do...was it?
I never questioned anything my father told me, except for the few times I saw my sister rebel. My tiny little sister, with her golden curls like silk, and her blue eyes like the stormy seas. So young, so fragile, yet she dared to argue and question. She dared to go against our father, no matter what the punishment. These were the few times when I would actually wonder if perhaps, what my father was saying was wrong.
But that was always quashed when he punished her and sent her away, turning his attention back to me. I was to ask no questions. I was to be a good boy and follow Voldemort. I was to be a Death Eater like my father.
It was that last thing, that caused me to shiver every time I heard him say it. Yes, it showed weakness, and many a-time I was beaten for it. But the idea of following that man and doing his deeds, made my entire being rebel. To this day I don't know why. Perhaps even then I had heart enough to dread people dying by my hand...or by the hands of people I was aquatinted with.
Perhaps that is why I am now at a crossroads. I have been given a chance, for the first time in my life. I have the choice of what to do with my own life. My father can't make it for me, nor can Voldemort, my sister, my mother, or anyone else. Just me. Only Draco Malfoy.
As I stand on the train platform in Hogsmede, I allow my gaze to turn back to the place I called 'home' for the past seven years. Hogwarts still stands tall and majestic, despite it's having been the site of one of the greatest battles in history. Its grey-colored stone stands out against the green hills and blue sky, but at the same time it seems to almost blend in with the rest of the scenery.
Hearing a train whistle, I turn around to see the train coming down the track. I am alone on the platform, because everyone else is still back at the school, celebrating Voldemort's downfall and the graduation of the seventh years. But I'm no longer welcome there. I have no place, I have no set future. I am simply Draco Malfoy, here and now.
"Malfoy."
I turn, startled. Behind me stands Potter, his unruly hair blowing into his face as the train stops. Our eyes meet, and for a moment, I feel something tightening...in my chest. It's not happiness at seeing him, because I most certainly am not. But it's something else...
"What?" I grunt. His green eyes narrow. Then he says something that I know I will never forget.
"If you ever need anything, I'll be here." He said, his voice giving no clue as to what he was thinking. Then our eyes met again, and I knew. We may not be friends, we may even hate each other, but we have a mutual understanding. One that will stick with us for the rest of our lives.
"Thanks, Potter." I mutter, realizing that it was probably the only time I've ever thanked him. He looks startled for a moment, then I see his mouth quirk up.
"Anytime. Take care, Draco." Again, his words startle me. He called me by my first name. Just this once, I suppose it's alright to reciprocate.
"You too, Harry."
With this, I get onto the train. I find an empty compartment and put my things away, sinking into the seat when I'm through. As the train moves away, I look out the window and see him still standing there, looking off into the distance.
And I realize something.
Someone cared about what happened to me.
Even though he hated me, he cared enough to let me know that I wasn't alone. That I had someone to go to when times got rough. That I had a future, and this was the start of it.
As the train began to move faster, I had only one thought before I fell asleep.
'Maybe, just maybe, Potter's not so bad after all.'
~*~*~*~