I can remember everything very well looking back. It was the summer that I turned sixteen and we had been living in a one room shack. It was a rundown place on the outskirts on New Orleans. We couldn't pay the rent and we didn't have money for food. To say the least, we were hard pressed. Mama spent every last penny we had on buying a dancing dress. Not for herself, but for me.
She washed, combed, and curled my hair. With how much we had to worry over money and food, I hadn't been able to make the time for a haircut since we were thrown out of the manor. My hair had grown out and reached the middle of my back. Despite my protests, she painted my eyes and lips with her own makeup. Mama had done these things to me before, playing dress up with me like the daughter she never had, but that was all before we lost everything. Now the few luxury things we had, such as her makeup and the few clothes we had been able to keep, were precious and not to be wasted.
She handed me the red satin dress and gave me a look telling me not to question her. I stripped quickly and stepped into the dress. Mama zipped up the back and turned me to the mirror. It was red velvet trim and it fit me perfectly. It had a split up the side, clean up to my hip. Thanks to Mama's efforts, the mirror showed a woman were a half grown kid had once stood.
Mama dabbed a bit of her perfume on my neck and kissed my cheek softly. I turned to her to see tears welling up in her eyes, filled worry and sadness. She took a shaky breath before she started to speak, "your father's been captured, I'm very sick, and the baby's going to starve to death." She turned away, trying not to let the tears spill over.
When she turned back to me, she pulled a heart shaped locket from her pocket and put it around my neck. Picking it up I read the words engraved on the back, 'To thine own self be true.' I looked up to my Mama again and it sounded like somebody else was speaking, asking, "Mama, what do I do?"
She forced a smile and said, "just be nice to the gentleman, Draco, and they'll be nice to you."
I felt her grab my hand and lead me from the room to the front of the shack. Confused, I turned to her only to see her watching something on the road. Looking, I saw a long black limo coming up the road. It stopped in front of our home and a tall red haired man stepped out.
I turned back to Mama quickly. She smiled again. "Here's your one chance Draco, don't let me down. Forgive me for what I do, but if you want out, well, it's up to you. Don't let me down now, you better start moving."
The red haired man had reached us by now. He took a hold of my arm and started to pull me to the limo. That was the last time I ever saw my Mama, that day I left the old rickety shack. The welfare people took the baby, Mama died, and I never plan on going there again. It wasn't very long from that day that I understood exactly what my Mama had been talking about.
I couldn't ever see myself living my life with my head hung down in shame. I was a Malfoy and no matter how much our name had been dragged through the mud, I still had some pride in that fact. The people from Welfare gave me my brother back, all thanks to Harry.
He was the last man to take me in from the street, the most benevolent man I have ever met. He was also the strangest. Harry didn't sleep with me that night. That was one of the things that had me falling in love with him. He didn't jut want my body, he wanted my company. My fifth night with him, I was already in love with the man. That was the first night we made love, right after I told him and he replied with, 'I love you too.' The next day, my baby brother was brought back, it was almost too perfect.
Harry was one of the most well known people in the world. He met with kings, congressmen, and aristocrats and he took me with him everywhere. I charmed and won over all of them.
The manor had been destroyed, torn down and removed. Harry had been trying to find it so he could buy it back, just for me. Learning what had happened to the manor did not depress me as much as I imagined it would. Truthfully I guess I was a little relieved that my brother, Scorpius, wouldn't have to grow up in the huge, dark house. Another house was bought, a beautiful white Georgia mansion.
There are a lot of self righteous hypocrites out there, calling me names and criticizing Mama for turning me out, no matter how little we had at the time and that she was only trying to save my brother and I.
I haven't had to worry about anything for fifteen years now. Harry, Scorpius, and I have been as happy together as possible. I can still hear Mama sometimes, her desperate voice ringing in my ears, 'Here's your one chance Draco, don't let me down. Forgive me for what I do, but if you want out, well, it's up to you. Don't let me down now, you better start moving.'
Mama helped me so much.
Fancy by Reba McEntire