Grey Space
A/N: This is my first Dramione fic and I hope you guys enjoy! And thanks to my friend and beta Julianna for helping me piece together parts of my story. Visit our tumblr: i-am-dramione-trash :)
"Happy Birthday Draco."
"Thank you, Father."
Draco stiffened as his father, Lucius clapped one hand on his shoulder. A feeling akin to disgust overcame Draco as he removed his father's hand. His father never told him happy birthday. He couldn't remember the last time his father had said it, if he had ever said it at all… Maybe it was back when Draco had turned eleven and was getting ready for his first year at Hogwarts. He'd liked to think that his father had said it because he was going to miss his son, but he had a suspicion that it had to do with a bit of prodding from his mother.
"I got you a present Draco, I thought it would be fitting since this year you'll be turning twenty-one, the age you become a man."
"Thank you, Father."
Lucius stared at his son for a bit before retreating towards the doors of his office, beckoning his son to come over with his black scepter. Draco carefully regarded his father with suspicion. Was this some kind of sick joke his father was pulling? He was waiting any moment for his father to just rap him on the shoulder and sneer at him for falling for the joke. What father ignored his son, his only son and heir's birthday for twenty-one years and then one day decides to buy him a sodding present? As if that could make up for twenty-one years of lost birthdays.
"Come along then, I haven't got all day."
"Yes, Father."
Draco headed out towards the door on his father's heels wondering what his father could've possibly gotten him. He couldn't help but feel a bit wary of his father's behavior. Draco was constantly looking behind them, thinking his fellow Death Eaters would be waiting to jump out at them and mock him for his weakness of believing such an immature joke. At least if it had been his mother, it wouldn't have been so strange since she always did get him something for his birthday every year. Well... every year she would sneak a present to him without his father noticing. Father thought it was weak for her to "coddle" him like that.
The two blondes walked through the empty streets of London in silence. Ever since the Dark Lord had taken over, the streets had been deathly quiet. One might expect to see the streets of London, hustling and bustling with life, but the Dark Lord's reign had only brought stillness in the city. Perhaps, the curfew that had been set for all but the Death Eaters, had contributed to the forced silence. Draco found it a bit unsettling because he did miss the street markets that were held every week in the past, but better to be safe and keep your head down than to speak up against and challenge the Dark Lord.
Draco crinkled his nose as he and his father walked into the seedier part of the city, one where you would probably look twice to make sure you were seeing a family as prestigious as the Malfoys in the area. He was getting more and more confused by the second. First, his father was actually getting him a gift, and now they were in a place where Draco knew his father didn't approve of. For Godric's sake, his father threw a bitch fit whenever there were specks of dust on the family heirlooms. And now they were walking the piss covered streets of London to Godric knows where.
"Father, may I ask where it is we are headed? I don't think we're in… a respectable part of the city."
"Just follow Draco and don't stray away from me. The Dark Lord had suggested that I do something to… christen your transition from a mere boy to a man and I thought this was the best way to do it. And must I remind you Draco, don't touch anything."
Bloody hell, the Dark Lord had actually thought of something nice to do for someone. What was the world coming to? Maybe Draco wasn't even a pureblood. Maybe he was a muggle. He laughed bitterly to himself. No, but it was fucking awful for mudbloods and muggles at the moment and it had only gotten worse after the Dark Lord had taken over. He had ordered the killing of over three-fourths of the muggle population and the only ones who had escaped were the lucky ones that the Order had gotten to first. And he shuddered to think of what the Dark Lord did with mudbloods nowadays.
Draco had never imagined that it would get this bad, but why did it bloody matter to him now? The deed had already been done and Draco was just glad that he was on the safe side of things, if you could call being a Death Eater safe.
They stopped in front of a place called, "Which Witch". Draco looked at it questioningly before grudgingly following his father inside. Weren't they in the red district? Now what could they possibly be doing here…
-FUCK. Hermione tightly squeezed her eyes as another mystery man yanked her hair. She couldn't yelp. That would earn her five lashes. Tears, another five. And if she dared fight back… you might as well sentence her to death.
"You enjoy that don't you, you filthy little Mudblood."
"Yes Master."
The man groaned at Hermione's response and the brunette couldn't help but roll her eyes even in the midst of her miserable pain. All she had to was count to ten and wait for this wretched git to pull out and get the hell out of her room. Never mind that her dignity and pride had been stripped from her, but to lower herself and refer to someone as master? It made her blood boil…well, a long time ago it had. Now, she just felt tired. Everyday it was the same. Wake up, tend to customers, clean up, tend to customers, clean up, tend to customers, and etc. Maybe get a few minutes of sleep here and there, and a four hour break at the end of the day. And the bloody cycle would start over again.
Hermione heard the telltale signs of an orgasm and of course needed to moan to fake her own, she had conveniently forgot the first couple times she had been subjected to this torture and she had paid the price for it. She still had the scars to prove it.
"I'll be back for you next time," the man grunted as he shoved Hermione off the bed. Hermione quickly bowed, snatching a galleon from the mystery man's coat and ran to the restroom. There was no time, she could already hear Borris talking to a new guest. She couldn't afford to get anymore lashes. People still counted on her… it seems that they did no matter where she ended up.
-"Ah Master Malfoy, we were expecting you. And I see the young Master Malfoy is also with you."
Lucius put on his gloves as if to protect his hands from the filth of the store.
"I believe I booked a room for my son." The older Malfoy dropped a small bag of galleons with a clink into the hands of the sleazy looking innkeeper. Draco noticed, with disgust, the slime and grime underneath the innkeeper's nails. What the hell was his father thinking? Where were they and why were they associating with wizards like this? Clearly these people were below them. Couldn't Father see even that?
"Father. I-"
Lucius help up his serpent scepter to silence his son.
"If you hadn't already noticed Draco, we are at a brothel. I heard from… a little bird that this place, as dingy as it is, is actually quite popular among our circle. The Dark Lord himself, even recommended it. Now enjoy yourself, and for Salazar's sake, don't let your mother find out. I want to live long enough to see my grandson."
"Of course, Father."
Lucius left the seedy shop with a wave of his cloak and Draco was left with the sleazy looking owner. A bit astounded that his Father had actually purchased him a night with a whore.
The innkeeper beckoned Draco to follow him. "Let me take you up to your room, Master Malfoy. I'm sure you'll enjoy this one. She's our most popular item."
-Hermione scrubbed her skin with such robustness that she swore her skin would peel off if she scrubbed any harder. But this was how life was, had been for the past three years… ever since…
She had to hurry. If the shopkeeper found that she wasn't clean before the next customer arrived she could be sure to receive a couple lashes and she wasn't sure if she could take anymore of those. Tears slipped out of her thick lashes as she rushed to quickly wipe them away. When had all of this gone down hill?
It seemed only yesterday that she was with the two people who made her feel invincible, on top of the world. And in one day, all of that and more had been taken away from her. It was as if someone had pulled the rug from under her feet and her world had been turned upside down.
Hermione froze as she heard the familiar creaks of the rickety stairs outside her door. Oh no, someone was coming. The brunette quickly wiped herself down with a towel and went to her closet to pick out her next outfit. She hoped this one wouldn't be as rough as the last, otherwise she'd have to go pick up more healing potions the next time she went out.
She decided she would go with a silver two-piece whose bottom was more of a long shimmery skirt. The more clothing she had on, if you could even call this clothing, the more she could stall the inevitable. Even if the customers just ripped them off most of the time.
She walked out of the closet just in time to see the door swinging open. Just in time to see familiar grey eyes.
