The White Dove
"One free bird leaves behind the lost and forgotten caged bird." –Loveless Romantic
As the clock struck half past eleven and the full moon cast its light over the largely widespread Malfoy manor, only one had not completely succumbed himself to sleep. Instead, he was wandering about the grounds, alone and enjoying the silence that always accompanied the darkness of the night. It was the night that provided him with the most comfort; the night often made the daylight…bearable.
Suddenly, as if to interrupt his thoughts, a bird began chirping away in a nearby tree. It seemed like such an odd time for a bird to be singing, he thought and then found himself slowly moving towards said tree. As he extended his arm towards the branch the bird was perched on top of, he heard the sound of footfalls and leaves crunching behind him. When he turned to look at where the sound was coming from, his cool blue eyes met with his father's own identical ones. By now, the bird had flown off, using only its one wing and the very tip of the other and landed itself in another tree closer to the front gate. The blonde simply closed his eyes and bowed his head; this was one of those rare times that he didn't want to be disturbed and have his thoughts disrupted by anyone.
"Draco?" Lucius' rough voice echoed through the darkness. "What are you doing up at such an hour?" His hand, wrapped possessively around the head of his walking stick trembled slightly, yet, fortunately for the elder male, the movement went unnoticed. He worried for his son, as his most recent actions nowadays were a cause for concern. Not only was he often found roaming the manor grounds during the late hours, just as he was tonight, but he also refused to eat or even talk to anyone. It was most unusual for someone like him…and his father's concern was no surprise…
"It's nothing; nothing you needn't be concerned with at least," was his short and subtle reply. He then turned his head to the side and held out his hand to silently gesture the holy bird over to perch atop his finger. The dove cooed softly as it remained near motionless, as if hesitating briefly before it made an attempt to fly once more. This time, when it flew again, it landed roughly in the palm of the boy's hand. Draco peeled his free hand from his side and scratched the top of the dove's head with one finger; he had a feeling that the delicate creature wouldn't be attempting to fly again for a while yet. He was now completely ignoring his father's very presence, pretending as though he had never even made an appearance before him.
Lucius sighed under his breath and clenched the snake head tighter before turning his back on his son. Before taking his leave, he cleared his throat and tapped the ground twice with his walking stick. "Your mother and I will be discussing a few…" He coughed lightly. "…important matters tomorrow evening and we expect you to be there…" and with that said, he flashed himself back into the manor.
Draco stood, practically frozen to the spot. Once he realized that he was truly alone once more, he withdrew his free hand from atop the bird's head and pressed it snugly against the side of his body. He then lifted the delicate dove high into the sky and whispered softly, urging it to fly away and be free. When it refused to budge from its current station, the blonde bit his lip nervously. Said dove could barely lift its wing higher than its head and it looked as though he struggled over the pain. The blonde could easily sympathize with the creature's pain, though helping it was an entirely different task…
He knelt down onto the dampened grass and set the bird down on the ground in front of him. Without another thought, the blonde carefully ripped off a piece of his black-collared dress shirt and tenderly wrapped it around the tiny bird's fragile wing. It wasn't much, he had to admit, but it was all he had to offer. Once he finished dressing the wound, he then waited patiently for the bird to attempt to fly. Unfortunately, it remained stationed on the ground and showed no signs of movement. Draco knew, for a fact that he was indeed scared, scared that he still couldn't fly and how he may end up damaging his wing further. The blonde knew those feelings all too well, which was how he was able to bond so well with the creature.
The next few words rolled off his tongue so easily, as if it was almost natural for him to say. "Come on…come on…" he whispered, with his hand lying mere inches from the dove. "Just try…just try and beat it once, just once…" His words reverberated in the back of his mind, as if telling him to take his own advice. Beat your wings once, just once and you will learn to fly…
Suddenly, as if the bird understood exactly what Draco was telling it to do, it did just that. First he lifted his uninjured wing and then raised the injured one with the utmost of care. He then froze, as if petrified by fear, seemingly unsure of whether or not flying was such a great idea given the current circumstances. Fortunately, with enough coaxing from one blonde individual and a lot of persistence, the bird flapped its wings once, then twice and finally flew off into the air, landing in a nearby tree at least fifteen feet from the ground.
Draco Malfoy stood up from the cold, hardened ground and took care to brush himself off before turning his gaze over to the fragile creature sitting atop a slim branch. When the perfectly rounded full moon appeared from behind a dark grey, rather large cloud, the only one of its kind, a sudden breeze picked up from out of nowhere, it seemed. Though the air was still warm, the wind, though subtle provided much-needed relief. Draco brought his hand up to his face and laid his palm gently against his bitter cool, unnaturally pale skin. He closed his eyes and returned his hand to his side, opposite of where the other hung limply. He refused to cry, to shed even a single tear, as that would only succeed in revealing a weakness he forced himself to believe he didn't have. Instead, he re-opened his eyes, released a calming breath and then turned on his heel to head back into the manor.
As he climbed the steps to the immensely large, wooden doors, he heard the familiar sweet, yet sorrowful melody drifting through the air, sung by none other than the petite and delicate songbird. It was almost as though the dove was personally thanking the blonde and reassuring him that his kindness would not go unnoticed in the future. It was then that, no matter how strongly he tried to resist, a single tear, only a single one streamed down his cheek and vanished when it landed on his elegant black jacket. Quickly, he wiped all evidence of his tears from his complexion with the back of his sleeve and regained his former composure. As he proceeded to open the door to his home, immediately being overshadowed by more darkness from within, a small, yet noticeable smile graced the young Malfoy's lips before he vanished into the dark, closing the door behind him.
He would not breathe a word of the night's events to anyone. No one needed, no, deserved to hear the truth, which would, upon discovery, unearth his only weakness. It would forever be kept hidden in his heart, even when he no longer walked the earth. There was no one with whom he could trust to keep such a personal secret, well…secret. Perhaps, he thought, he should take the advice he had given the bird and spread his wings and fly. Not today, though…
…never today…