Disclaimer: This universe/world belongs to J.K Rowling and the Warner Bro. I am merely a meddlesome Fangirl who likes to with other peoples stuff.
A toddler's high squeal rang throughout the spacious mansion. Narcissa Malfoy sighed prettily in exhaustion. "Pocky?" She asked to no one in particular. Then out of nowhere, a wizened creature wearing a blue pillow case popped into existence.
"Mistress summoned Pocky?" The creature asked smiling.
"Yes," Narcissa answered matter-of-factly. "I do believe that it is Master Draco's bedtime." She claimed, before a loud crash, which caused the small house-elf to cringe, sounded in one of the upper floors. Narcissa placed two fingers on the bridge of her nose in exhaustion, when she heard a childish, "Uh-oh," from the upper floor. "Could you please get Draco and put him to bed for me. I do believe that I am ready for a bit of shut eye." She said wearily.
"Yes Mistress, right away, Mistress!" The house-elf answered obediently. And with a snap of his fingers, Pocky disappeared.
When Pocky apparated to the third floor, which the toddler was currently on, he spotted a shattered vase in the nearby corner of the long corridor and huffed in mock indignation. "Hmm… Now where is the young master?" The house-elf wondered aloud, tapping a wizened finger against his small chin. His eyes searched the seemingly empty corridor, when he spotted a pair of toddler sized feet poking out from underneath a large tapestry which was hanging from the end of the corridor directly opposite from where the broken vase resided. The house-elf quickly trotted towards the tapestry.
"Now, Master Draco," Pocky began in a no-nonsense tone, "Mistress is very sleepy and has asked Pocky to bring Master to bed." He said. "'tis not nice to hide from Pocky." The house-elf chastised.
A blond mop of hair poked out from behind the tapestry. "But my not tired!" The child exclaimed petulantly. "My don't wanna go to bed!" He whined while shaking his head.
The house-elf put his hands on his hips and wagged his finger at the whining toddler. "Now, young Master," he began, "Mistress has told Pocky to bring you to bed, and I will do as she says." he exclaimed.
The small toddler harrumphed, but did as he was told. As he got out from behind the hanging tapestry, Draco looked warily at the shattered vase which was directly across from him and tentatively turned his head towards the house-elf. "My didn't mean to break the glass." Draco confessed.
"Oh no matter," the house-elf said dismissively. He snapped his fingers and the broken vase mended itself. The toddler gasped and then giggled enthusiastically. "Again, Pocky! Do it again!" The child ordered excitedly.
Pocky unconsciously raised his hand to repeat the process, when he caught himself. "Now, Master Draco," he said, "Mistress gave Pocky direct orders to take young Master to bed. And Pocky will do just that!" The elf exclaimed. "Now come with me." He said, grasping Draco's arm.
The wizened creature, who was scarcely taller than the young boy escorted the young child to his room, while Draco ambled along behind Pocky, while enthusiastically telling the house-elf about his day. Once they had reached the young boy's room, Pocky set about getting Draco ready for bed.
All the while Draco had barely paused in his description of the adventure that he had been on that day. "And the dragon tried to bite me with his big, giant teeth, like this." He said, while demonstrating the chomping motion with his mouth. "And then, and then," He said excitedly, "He flew into the sky like this!" Draco then started running around his room with his arms out like wings and was making whooshing noises. And much to Pocky's disapproval, the toddler then jumped onto the bed and stood on the tips of his toes and reached towards the ceiling. "And then he flew up this high" He exclaimed excitedly. "And then he dived down and tried to eat me!" And as the child said this, Draco took his feet out from underneath him and landed on top of the bed with an "Oomph" and giggle following afterwards and then started making munching noises, pretending to eat a small figurine that was in his hands.
"You know that Mistress does not approve of you jumping on the bed." Pocky reprimanded. "Now, it is time for you to go to sleep." The elf said while tucking the small child in.
"But my don't wanna go to bed." The young blond insisted before yawning.
"Now, now young Master," Pocky said soothingly. "Time for sleep." Pocky said while walking towards the door.
"Pocky?" Draco asked while sitting back up. "Tell me a bed time story?"
The house-elf froze in front of the door and turned towards the young child uncertainly. "But… Mistress wants Master in bed." Pocky said while wringing his hands.
"But my am in bed." The boy insisted not noticing the elf's distress. Pocky's ears drooped in anxiety and the poor elf looked as if it were about to go into a fit. "Please, Pocky?" The young child pleaded and shimmied over to make room for the small elf on his bed. Pocky looked up at his young Master and then submitted to the boy's plea. He then tentatively walked towards the bed and jumped up onto it.
"Hmm… How about I tell you the story of The Wizard and the Hopping Pot?" The elf suggested. But the toddler shook his head furiously. "No Hopping Pot! My don't like the Hopping Pot!" The boy objected.
"Hmm..." The elf wondered, scratching his head in contemplation. "Aha! How about Babbity…"
"No Babbity Rabbity" The child said petulantly. "My want a new story!" Draco demanded.
Pocky looked at his young Master warily. "Of course, young Master." He said.
Then Pocky tried to scour his brain for any interesting tales and suddenly he remembered. "Oh," The wizened creature gasped in remembrance. How could he have forgotten such a story! "Pocky does have one story for the young Master." He said in thinly veiled excitement. His ears were perked in anticipation and he continued. "This story, young Master, is unlike any story you have heard before. This story has been told by many generations of magical creatures. This ancient tale," the elf whispered, "is so old that not even the great wizards have heard of it." Pocky told the wide-eyed toddler.
"Has the young Master ever heard of the Forgotten One?" The house-elf asked the toddler. Draco shook his head and waited for Pocky to inform him of who this mysterious Forgotten One was. The house-elf smiled and then paused dramatically.
"Long ago," Pocky began, "in a time when the magical world was new, there lived a group of people called the Cognitum." He said. "The Cognitum were neither wizard nor muggle, nor were they simple magical beings. These people, for they were human, were a part of a species of magical creatures unlike any other." Pocky proclaimed in an awe-filled voice. "They were far more powerful than any other creature known to this world. And they were charged with the duty to protect the creatures of magic against all evil. Even if it that meant that they had to protect the creatures from themselves." The elf told Draco sadly. "And for many centuries, they did just that." He said. "That is until a great evil touched the world. They said that the evil had tainted everyone who was flawed or imperfect." Pocky said forebodingly.
Draco looked up at Pocky and cocked his head. "Who is 'They'?" Draco asked. Pocky looked at Draco in the eyes and answered, "They is my people. They is those who had served during the time of the Great Evil." The elf whispered hauntingly. Draco's brow creased in confusion, but the elf went on.
"And while all who were flawed was tainted, the Cognitum were not." Pocky said. "They were the masterpiece of the gods!" Pocky claimed. "But the creatures grew jealous of them. They resented them for being favored. And with that jealousy, came the war." He said darkly. "Terrible things happened during that war." The elf said shakily. "Terrible things." He whispered. "The magicals mutinied and destroyed the Cognitum. For the Cognitum could not protect themselves against such numbers, and such hate." The house-elf shuddered.
"But there was hope," Pocky said, his glassy eyes twinkling. "Yes, there was hope in the Forgotten One." He said. "There was hope that the Forgotten One would bring back the Cognitum."
"But who's the Forgotten One, Pocky?" Draco asked curiously.
The elf chuckled. "Pocky does not know, Master." He answered. "No one knows. That is why they are forgotten." The boys head cocked to the side, and his brow scrunched in puzzlement.
"But what Pocky does know," the elf continued, "is that the Cognitum hid the Forgotten One somewhere safe, somewhere where no one could find them. They say that after the war, there was only one of the Cognitum left. And they told a lone creature about the Forgotten One." Pocky told Draco. "He said that the Forgotten One lives in many times, but only lives in one. And that they will not appear until they're least expected." He ended. "Sadly, there has been no word of the Forgotten One. And the war is only loosely mentioned in magical lore and fairy tales." Pocky sighed. "Many wizards don't even know about the Forgotten One. Let alone remember the last hope of the Cognitum."
Pocky stared morosely in to the distance, thoughts of the tale reverberating through his small head. And then he hopped off of the bed and turned toward his master. " 'Tis time for the master to sleep now." He said tiredly.
Draco snuggled into his covers and turned towards Pocky. "Goo'night, Pocky." He said drowsily. The small toddler yawned and turned around in his covers and then paused. He turned back towards the elf's retreating body and asked, "Was that a real story, Pocky."
The house-elf turned fractionally towards the small toddler and looked at him. He smiled sadly, a haunted look in his glassy eyes " 'Tis only a tale, Master." He answered quietly
Draco giggled, "My thought so," he answered gaily. "'Cause father said that no one could be more powerful than a wizard." He said with a yawn.
The small elf looked at his master pensively then answered, "Of course, Master. Of course." Then he nodded his head absently as if he were affirming something.
Draco looked at his house-elf curiously feeling as if he had missed something but shrugged and turned is back towards him. "Goodnight, Pocky." He said.
"Goodnight, Master." Pocky answered in return. He watched the young boy snuggle back into his covers, most likely forgetting all about the foreboding tale that he had just heard. He sighed sadly and closed the door behind him. Pocky snapped his fingers and apparated to his designated sleeping quarters and looked out of his window. He looked up at the sky warily and whispered to himself, "There's a mighty storm brewing, and I don't like the feeling of it."
This is the prelude to what I hope will be a very long multi-chaptered story. Tell me what you think of it and tell me whether should make a story out of this or not. Please review because that shows me that you love me! ^.^