Brawls and Broomsticks
For my Fanfic100 prompt #22: Enemies
I always forget how much I hate this time of year. It's not the weather, the lengths of the days, or anything of that sort; it's the back-to-school stress. Narcissa is sick, and because the two of us have been putting off any trip to Diagon Alley, she volunteered me to come and take Draco school shopping. I tried my best to argue against coming, but I had business to attend to as well, so I truly couldn't avoid it.
The temperature seems to rise by the minute as more and more people pull their snot-nosed brats through the wall into Diagon Alley to do their shopping. Draco keeps pointing out his classmates to me and although I am still frustrated with him about his grades and guile to ask for an expensive new racing broom, I have to laugh at how much he reminds me of myself. He seems to have made it into the right crowd at school, at least. Perhaps I will get him that broom as bribery to get better marks…
I can see the bookstore now and sigh in frustration at the line reaching out the door. It appears that they're having that Lockhart fellow signing books today (a bizarre man if I've ever met one). Besides new robes, books are all Draco needs, so there's yet another obligation we can't shirk off. That store is crawling with vermin on a daily basis and the swooning, drooling fanwitches in there are only going to add to the disgusting ambience of the place.
I beckon Draco to head inside before me and just push past all of the people in line for the signings. He can go pick up his books while I head to the apothecary to pick up something Narcissa demanded I retrieve while here. I'm in and out of the store in under a minute and back to Flourish and Blotts in two. I push through the crowd just outside the door and look around for my son. I finally spot him talking to… two of the Weasley litter.
"Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley," I hear him say. "I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all of those." I knew I taught that boy right. If there is someone below you who gives you attitude, you should set them right. Us Malfoys take lip from no one.
One of the boys lunges towards Draco and I certainly hope the boy is smart enough to put up his fists and fight back if needed. The others pull him back and Weasley Senior shows up with two more Weasleys (God, do they ever end?).
"Well, well, well—Arthur Weasley," I catch up with Draco and put a hand on his shoulder. I stare coldly at Arthur and receive a stiff nod in response, "Lucius."
"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear. All those raids… I hope they're paying you overtime," I say with a smirk. I know full and well that it's not true. I spot the corner of a very ratty book in his daughter's cauldron and pull it out, turning it over in my, thankfully, gloved hands. "Obviously not. Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"
Draco coughs a little and I smirk a little wider. "We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy," Arthur offers in a sort of retort. I catch a glimpse of a man in a woman in muggle attire nearby. They must be the parents of that mudblood that Draco's told me of. Disgusting…
"Clearly," I reply, looking face on at the muggles, my lip curling slightly. "The company you keep, Weasley… and I thought your family could sink no lower—"
Before I can turn back to look at Weasley, he jumps at me and knocks me into the bookshelf. I rear back and punch him in the mouth, but do a poor job at it as books come tumbling down from the topmost shelves. He hits me in the face with a book and as I hit him in the shoulder, a giant hand comes from nowhere and lifts me back onto the floor.
I notice I'm still holding the little girl's book and remember something tucked away in my robes that I was supposed to dispose of. I push it into the book quickly and thrust it at her, "Here, girl—take your book—it's the best your father can give you—" I pull myself out of that gamekeeper oaf's hand and beckon to Draco to leave the store.
"That's it," I say after walking quickly with Draco at my heels for a minute. "I'm buying you that fucking broom and if you don't beat that Gryffindor scum of a team at Quidditch… Hell, I'll buy them for the whole Slytherin team. Let's see how that settles…"
I don't finish the sentence, but look back at Draco and he wipes the smile off his face and nods solemnly, "Yes, father."
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