China Doll: A Prologue
Poised and appearing porcelain pale in the sunlight, Draco Malfoy looked quite like a china doll from afar. In fact, upon further inspection one would find he almost perfectly resembled the rigid figures, with his ever-present mask of expressionless features painted on by a careful hand.
Queer things, china dolls are.
At first glance they appear sturdy and strong, but one soon learns that all it takes is a simple push for the delicate statue to shatter.
The china doll itself knows this, too. It knows its delicacy - but it would never admit it if you were to bring up the matter.
The wisest of us pity them. We know that behind the carefully painted features is an unannounced fear all china dolls are forced to live with, a fear that haunts them like a shadow.
A fear of a clumsy child picking them up and holding them with careless hands. A fear of cracking.
Of breaking.
So in many ways, Draco was very much like a china doll.
For he knew that one look from those broken green eyes, and he would simply shatter.