Never Be Afraid
Chapter One: Fortress
There I sat. Shivering in my icy fortress. It wouldn't be long now, before I abandoned it. I nursed my broken arm. I could never last in this snow for more than 10 minutes. I wasn't about to go home either. My father's words flew back to me. So deafening. The bitter voice cutting through the icy snow, I could not tune it out. "Draco! You are seventeen! And it is time that you went to your first Death Eater ceremony. There, you shall become one of us." I never wanted to be a Death Eater. Never could I follow in my father's icy footsteps toward evil. While it's true, no one ever accused me of being a kind, good-hearted person, still it didn't mean I was to be evil did it?
"Father, It's just…I-" I attempted, a sharp blow struck my face. With pleading eyes, I stared up at him, begging him not to do what he was about to. I felt a trickle of blood gently slide down my upper lip, my nose, wet with blood. My father came closer, and I stepped back. "Now, Draco. None of that. No, no. Be a man. If you're to be a Death Eater, we can't have you cry over a bloody nose." "I'm not crying." I said, all fear leaving and swift anger replacing it. "Oh- You're not?" My father asked rhetorically, amusement and fury merged in his eyes. My own eyes teared, due to the severity of the blow. He shoved me sharply into a wall. "Let's see how much you can take- before you're reduced to tears." With that he delivered a swift jab to my stomach. I crumpled in agony. I did not cry- unwilling to fulfill my father's wish. I glared with determination.
Slowly, I eased myself up, only to be jabbed several more times in the same place. I could feel blackness fading in, encompassing my world. He dragged me up by the collar of my shirt and pulled my face merely an inch from his own. In a whisper, each word dripping with malice, he said, "You foolish boy. You can't escape the pain. There is nothing you can do. Nowhere you can go. No one to go to. You're life has been in vain. And all of it will lead to the dark side. Surprise." His malice…such malice. I shivered. He slapped me and flung me by my arm to the floor with such force, it snapped. Pain throbbed from, every fiber of my being. "I will-I will." I choked from the floor. "Never. Never do what…you say." I angrily panted. I attempted to crawl away. He kicked me. His little game of cat and mouse was not over.
"What was that?" His fury no stranger to me, I knew. The worst was yet to come. He had uttered that last statement so loudly and angrily…it was enough for my mother to hear and come to see what the commotion was. She knew also, what was about to happen. "Lucious!" She begged, seeing my crumpled in a ball on the floor. In too much agony to even blink my eyes. "Narcissa. Do not involve yourself." Lucious yelled. "Lucious, don't!" She wailed, begging of him. He whirled around viciously grabbing her wrist and yanking her closer to him. My mother sobbed hopelessly. She had bought me enough time to scuttle to safety. I crawled past my father, knowing he would continue first with my mother, 'putting her in her place'. I stumbled painfully to and was able to run as hard as I could. I heard my father's yelling. "I will find you, Draco! And then, no one else will!"
So, here. Now, I found myself aching horribly. Only a mile from home. A wonder I made it so far. Adrenaline will drive you to do near impossible things, things you could never do when your life was not at risk. Within a matter of minutes, my shock wore off, and excruciating pain and fatigue took its place. And then…blackness.
You can think funny things when you awake from unconsciousness in a snowy cave. When I awoke, I thought I was home. Sleeping in my bed, with no yelling. That should've been my first clue. I sat shivering in the frigid cave. The ice had absorbed all my body heat. There was no way I could survive here for much longer. Carefully, I crawled out, cringing at the bloodstained snow. My arm was broken badly this time. After breaking the same arm three times within the same year, it gets easier to tell what condition it was in. I attempted to stand, my dizziness would not allow it. Gingerly, I sat in the snow, hoping the pain would wear off. The icy wind whipped across my face, and blew my hair into frenzy. My father was right about one thing, "There is nothing you can do. Nowhere you can go. No one you can go to. Your life has been in vain."
I tried to think. Where could I go? I certainly could not go to a friend's house. The Death Eaters would surely be on the lookout for me. But…I couldn't go to a wizarding hospital. They'd want a name and address. I'm sure they'd contact my father. Maybe Hogwarts. But there was no use thinking of that. There was no way I could get there in my state. I needed immediate help, or my arm would mend crookedly. I could go to a house…and owl Dumbledore. Maybe he would come get me. I was sure that Madam Pomfrey would be there, to mend my arm. That was the best plan I had. Wearily, I began to survey my surroundings. To my left, bleak green woods. To my right, a stream. The woods continued along on all sides of me. I crawled slowly to the edge of the river. I saw in the ice, my reflection. A boy, who'd been roughed up pretty badly.
A black welt fringing his eye. His nose and upper lip were caked in dry blood. His lip was puffy. Blonde hair come loose from its precise slicked back style, whisping along his jaw line, in the gentle, chilly breeze. His right arm hung limply from its socket. Uselessly. His wand? At home.
I sighed heavily and rose my left arm to attempt to wipe the blood from my face. Slightly better but not quite a model. Slowly, I tried to get to my feet. And luckily, I did so without blacking out or being overwhelmed by dizziness. I trudged slowly, shuffling through the woods for what felt like hours. My right arm limply tucked around my bruised and quite possibly, broken ribs. Finally, I came upon a small, wooden cottage hidden in this wooded wonderland. I crept, gathering my strength, walking toward it. A mere 10 feet away. Staggering I reached the door and knocked as hard as I could. "Help." I muttered falling down and sinking back into the darkness that I'd come to know far too well.
I found myself lying upon a blue cushioned sofa. A blanket draped over me. A fire crackled in the hearth. I blinked wondering where I was. In a rush, I remembered that I had blacked out on someone's porch. A frail old woman shuffled behind the sofa that was positioned facing the far wall. She must have heard me stirring, because she approached me and grinned a toothless smile. I sat up wincing at the pain in my middle. "Ah- so you're awake." She said softly. "Can I get you some tea?" I nodded shortly and she slowly made her way over to where the kitchen must have been. I wondered how such a woman could have gotten me inside. A tapestry hung over the fireplace and photographs of moving young people sat on the mantle. Moving photographs. That answered my question. She walked back over and handed me the tea. "Thank You." I replied sipping it slowly. She smiled kindly. "Ah- " She followed my gaze to the mantle. "My grandchildren." She beamed with pride. "I have one not much younger than you. Poor thing. Whatever happened to you, dearie?" Compassionately, her wide, faded, blue eyes showing sadness. "I- " I said hoarsely, not realizing that I hadn't spoken for hours. "Had a bit of an accident." I lied. I couldn't turn in my father. The last thing I needed was his plotting revenge.
"And quite an accident it must have been!" She exclaimed, "Poor child! Could never have left you there. All blue in the face and unconscious. Not to mention beat up." "Thank you, I-" I began. "No, no! You, Don't try to talk. Try to get some rest. We'll talk later. " She said taking my cup and gently easing me down and pulled the blanket back over my chest. Smiling as I closed my eyes, she took out her wand as she blew out the candles.
There I sat. Shivering in my icy fortress. It wouldn't be long now, before I abandoned it. I nursed my broken arm. I could never last in this snow for more than 10 minutes. I wasn't about to go home either. My father's words flew back to me. So deafening. The bitter voice cutting through the icy snow, I could not tune it out. "Draco! You are seventeen! And it is time that you went to your first Death Eater ceremony. There, you shall become one of us." I never wanted to be a Death Eater. Never could I follow in my father's icy footsteps toward evil. While it's true, no one ever accused me of being a kind, good-hearted person, still it didn't mean I was to be evil did it?
"Father, It's just…I-" I attempted, a sharp blow struck my face. With pleading eyes, I stared up at him, begging him not to do what he was about to. I felt a trickle of blood gently slide down my upper lip, my nose, wet with blood. My father came closer, and I stepped back. "Now, Draco. None of that. No, no. Be a man. If you're to be a Death Eater, we can't have you cry over a bloody nose." "I'm not crying." I said, all fear leaving and swift anger replacing it. "Oh- You're not?" My father asked rhetorically, amusement and fury merged in his eyes. My own eyes teared, due to the severity of the blow. He shoved me sharply into a wall. "Let's see how much you can take- before you're reduced to tears." With that he delivered a swift jab to my stomach. I crumpled in agony. I did not cry- unwilling to fulfill my father's wish. I glared with determination.
Slowly, I eased myself up, only to be jabbed several more times in the same place. I could feel blackness fading in, encompassing my world. He dragged me up by the collar of my shirt and pulled my face merely an inch from his own. In a whisper, each word dripping with malice, he said, "You foolish boy. You can't escape the pain. There is nothing you can do. Nowhere you can go. No one to go to. You're life has been in vain. And all of it will lead to the dark side. Surprise." His malice…such malice. I shivered. He slapped me and flung me by my arm to the floor with such force, it snapped. Pain throbbed from, every fiber of my being. "I will-I will." I choked from the floor. "Never. Never do what…you say." I angrily panted. I attempted to crawl away. He kicked me. His little game of cat and mouse was not over.
"What was that?" His fury no stranger to me, I knew. The worst was yet to come. He had uttered that last statement so loudly and angrily…it was enough for my mother to hear and come to see what the commotion was. She knew also, what was about to happen. "Lucious!" She begged, seeing my crumpled in a ball on the floor. In too much agony to even blink my eyes. "Narcissa. Do not involve yourself." Lucious yelled. "Lucious, don't!" She wailed, begging of him. He whirled around viciously grabbing her wrist and yanking her closer to him. My mother sobbed hopelessly. She had bought me enough time to scuttle to safety. I crawled past my father, knowing he would continue first with my mother, 'putting her in her place'. I stumbled painfully to and was able to run as hard as I could. I heard my father's yelling. "I will find you, Draco! And then, no one else will!"
So, here. Now, I found myself aching horribly. Only a mile from home. A wonder I made it so far. Adrenaline will drive you to do near impossible things, things you could never do when your life was not at risk. Within a matter of minutes, my shock wore off, and excruciating pain and fatigue took its place. And then…blackness.
You can think funny things when you awake from unconsciousness in a snowy cave. When I awoke, I thought I was home. Sleeping in my bed, with no yelling. That should've been my first clue. I sat shivering in the frigid cave. The ice had absorbed all my body heat. There was no way I could survive here for much longer. Carefully, I crawled out, cringing at the bloodstained snow. My arm was broken badly this time. After breaking the same arm three times within the same year, it gets easier to tell what condition it was in. I attempted to stand, my dizziness would not allow it. Gingerly, I sat in the snow, hoping the pain would wear off. The icy wind whipped across my face, and blew my hair into frenzy. My father was right about one thing, "There is nothing you can do. Nowhere you can go. No one you can go to. Your life has been in vain."
I tried to think. Where could I go? I certainly could not go to a friend's house. The Death Eaters would surely be on the lookout for me. But…I couldn't go to a wizarding hospital. They'd want a name and address. I'm sure they'd contact my father. Maybe Hogwarts. But there was no use thinking of that. There was no way I could get there in my state. I needed immediate help, or my arm would mend crookedly. I could go to a house…and owl Dumbledore. Maybe he would come get me. I was sure that Madam Pomfrey would be there, to mend my arm. That was the best plan I had. Wearily, I began to survey my surroundings. To my left, bleak green woods. To my right, a stream. The woods continued along on all sides of me. I crawled slowly to the edge of the river. I saw in the ice, my reflection. A boy, who'd been roughed up pretty badly.
A black welt fringing his eye. His nose and upper lip were caked in dry blood. His lip was puffy. Blonde hair come loose from its precise slicked back style, whisping along his jaw line, in the gentle, chilly breeze. His right arm hung limply from its socket. Uselessly. His wand? At home.
I sighed heavily and rose my left arm to attempt to wipe the blood from my face. Slightly better but not quite a model. Slowly, I tried to get to my feet. And luckily, I did so without blacking out or being overwhelmed by dizziness. I trudged slowly, shuffling through the woods for what felt like hours. My right arm limply tucked around my bruised and quite possibly, broken ribs. Finally, I came upon a small, wooden cottage hidden in this wooded wonderland. I crept, gathering my strength, walking toward it. A mere 10 feet away. Staggering I reached the door and knocked as hard as I could. "Help." I muttered falling down and sinking back into the darkness that I'd come to know far too well.
I found myself lying upon a blue cushioned sofa. A blanket draped over me. A fire crackled in the hearth. I blinked wondering where I was. In a rush, I remembered that I had blacked out on someone's porch. A frail old woman shuffled behind the sofa that was positioned facing the far wall. She must have heard me stirring, because she approached me and grinned a toothless smile. I sat up wincing at the pain in my middle. "Ah- so you're awake." She said softly. "Can I get you some tea?" I nodded shortly and she slowly made her way over to where the kitchen must have been. I wondered how such a woman could have gotten me inside. A tapestry hung over the fireplace and photographs of moving young people sat on the mantle. Moving photographs. That answered my question. She walked back over and handed me the tea. "Thank You." I replied sipping it slowly. She smiled kindly. "Ah- " She followed my gaze to the mantle. "My grandchildren." She beamed with pride. "I have one not much younger than you. Poor thing. Whatever happened to you, dearie?" Compassionately, her wide, faded, blue eyes showing sadness. "I- " I said hoarsely, not realizing that I hadn't spoken for hours. "Had a bit of an accident." I lied. I couldn't turn in my father. The last thing I needed was his plotting revenge.
"And quite an accident it must have been!" She exclaimed, "Poor child! Could never have left you there. All blue in the face and unconscious. Not to mention beat up." "Thank you, I-" I began. "No, no! You, Don't try to talk. Try to get some rest. We'll talk later. " She said taking my cup and gently easing me down and pulled the blanket back over my chest. Smiling as I closed my eyes, she took out her wand as she blew out the candles.