A/N:
This takes place when Draco is 13 and over Christmas Break. Just because Sirius Black is on the loose doesn't mean the purebloods are going to stop having social lives, seemingly.
Originally this fic [the prequel] was just going to be about Hermione, but then this wanted to be written and I realised this is a good way of showing you some of Draco's past.
I'm not sure of or fond of fics that pull the books forward into our time, but it fits better if it is. I'm not sure whether to continue as it is or change it back. Opinions are always welcome.
Chapter 2: Christmas Of The Past.
Draco inwardly sighed at the proceedings, of course on the outside he was all manor of cordiality and maintaining his Malfoy smirk. As what is a Malfoy without his smirk? He gazed around the room, his mother was in a deep conversation with one of her friends and his father was leaving the ballroom with some business partners, probably to drink and smoke and talk about things which are too grown up for young thirteen year old Draco. He shot daggers at his parents with his eyes and ignored the younger witches and wizards that came up to him, aside from Pansy and Blaise, of course. Crabbe and Goyle didn't come to these things, after all, so he was free of their idiocy this evening at least.
"Draco, I want to dance, you'll dance with me won't you?" Pansy whined.
"No," he paused, before adding, "Blaise will though." The Italian wizard frowned at his best friend and muttered that he owed him for this, before leading Pansy onto the dance floor, he knew that they'd never hear the end of it unless one of them danced with her.
Draco watched his friends, smirking at the dark pureblood's threats. He glanced around the room once more exasperated, he was bored out of his mind, sure the ballroom was lavishly decorated and the women glamorous and the men dapper. But it was all so superficial. So, without thinking he slipped away from the crowds and went outside into the gardens, scowling to himself he looked down the hill onto the muggle city below, they were so oblivious to everything.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" A voice called out to him.
He turned around to see an old woman walking towards him, she was slight with dark hair peppered with grey, "I don't see how it is."
"Don't you? Don't you see the lights and the life?" She paused looking at him, "No, I dare say you don't, not that that's much of a surprise."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Your a Malfoy." She said as if that was answer enough and it was.
"Explain it to me then." He ordered, shifting his features back into a mask.
She smiled, "Come with me then." As she walked through the gate and down the hill and into the muggle world.
Draco spared one glance behind him at the lights and the laughter and the music, before turning his back and following. No one would miss him for a while, anyways.
"What do you know about muggles?" The question drifted back to him as they walked down the hill, wordlessly she flicked her wand, he could see the glamour setting into place so that they looked like they were in muggle clothing.
"They're dirty, not fit to have the blessing of magic."
The old lady tutted, "Not the rhetoric your father spews, what do you actually know about them?"
"Not much."
"Muggles are fascinating, they have no magic but they have science, art and innovation. Don't get me wrong they have their bad sides, every society does. But they created electricity which powers the lights we're now standing under, it also enables them to take pictures, make films and music." She pause pointing at a muggle woman who must have been a couple years older than himself, she had white things coming out of her ears and was holding a small box in her hand. "Those things coming out of her head are called earphones, more commonly known as headphones, for the over head version. The little box she's carrying both plays and stores the music."
"Big deal, so there's a little box with one song on it." He shrugged.
The woman laugh, "One song, hardly, try hundreds or thousands, it depends on the person how much music they have but they can store a lot."
Draco just looked at her incredulously, she smiled in return and called the young woman over. "Marlene! Could you come over for a moment?" Draco froze, this women knew the muggles, she wasn't a mudblood was she, it'd explain how she knew so much about them. Sensing his gaze she responded as the girl walked over, "I am a pureblood, like you, I just happen to live here and I know the townsfolk well." Merlin, he was walking around a muggle town with his host!
"Mrs Renaire, what are you doing in town, I thought you had a party on tonight!" the girl exclaimed.
"Oh, I do, I was just educating one of our guests, he's never seen music players before, can you show it to him. He doesn't speak much English, so be kind. I am going to and see how your mother is doing."
"She's been good of late, as is business. I was just about to head over for my shift."
Draco stood flabbergasted as the two women talked. "Would you do me the favour of showing him around, I'll let your mother know and pay you a bit of money, lord knows you'd deserve it!"
Draco frowned, "What's that mean to mean?" he demanded, sensing the double meaning.
Lady Renaire just eyed him knowingly, "Just bring him to your mother's when your done," and with that she walked off, leaving a wizard and a muggle staring after her.
"Well she certainly is a force of nature!" Marlene said laughing, "What's your name anyways?"
Draco frowned at the young woman, "Ryu." he said curtly, it did have the same meaning after all.
"Well come on, this way then Ryu." She grabbed his arm and pulled him along, pointing out the different buildings and what they were for, she showed him the church, the school, the shops, laughing the entire time as she told him stories growing up here. At first he had squirmed in her grip, but she kept going leading him off and smiling that soon, he began to like it. "That's pretty much the the main areas in the town, let's head over to the Christmas fair, there's ice skating and booths. I wanted to go, but I couldn't, this is the perfect excuse." She looked at him sheepishly, "Sorry, that was rude."
He shrugged, keeping to the silent routine, he only understood half the things she said but it was wonderful and interesting. They looked around the fair, playing some games and she used strange looking muggle money to buy hot chocolate for them. They stood drinking, cupping the cups with their hands to warm them up, looking out onto the ice skating rink.
A beeping noise interrupted and Marlene pulled out another box, she'd gotten a new message her mum was telling her to come and help out at the cafe, which overlooked the fair and ice skating rink.
"What is that?" He asked.
"This?" Marlene asked, "It's a mobile, it's used to communicate, I can call someone and speak to them thought this, just as easily as I'm speaking to you or I can send them a real time message and talk that way."
He stared at the contraption, not knowing what to say. "I have to head over to the cafe for a bit, you see that building over there?" She asked pointing to a quaint two story building, that was just off from the festivities but was brightly lit and bustling, he could see why she needed to go over there, "Come over when you've had enough." He just nodded in response before she walked off, quickly drinking her hot chocolate and throwing the paper cup away.
Draco turned back to watching the ice skating and was smiling when he heard a girls laughter that sounded oddly familiar, he looked around and spotted the source, there was a girl around his age, skating with a group of people, they kept challenging each other to do tricks. He moved closer, so he could hear what was going on. Careful to keep hidden, he looked at the girl her she had a hat on her curly brown hair but it was bursting out from under it, she was pale with rosy cheeks and warm brown eyes, that lit up even more when she laughed at one of the guys trying to show off proceeded to fall on his arse. It was none other than Hermione Granger, the mudblood. Frowning to himself, he hid behind a cart, he was in the darkness behind it and no one saw him. 'What was she doing here!' he wondered. He peaked out through the fabric and watched as their voices carried over to him.
" 'Mione, we haven't seen you in ages! Why are you going to that boarding school, we've missed you!" One of the girls exclaimed.
"Toni especially!" One of the boys teased.
"Oi, shut up Sam!" Toni exclaimed and soon as teenage boys are want to do as they wrestled on the snow, the rest of the group just ignored them.
"Seriously Hermione we miss you, its not enough seeing you only on occasion!"
"It's a good school! I worked hard for it, and you know I miss you guys too!" Hermione answered as the boys finally separated and got up, pushing against each other good naturedly.
"That's a load of bull, you were miserable the other day, thinking about that boy again."
Draco subconsciously leaning forward to hear more. 'what boy were they talking about?'
Hermione froze, "He's just a stupid boy, parroting what other people have told him."
"That doesn't make it alright for him to call you a mudblood." Liz, the first girl said.
Toni sneered, "What an awful insult." He shuddered.
Draco froze, they were talking about him.
Hermione just brushed it off, "I have other friends there, you know that, you've met them!"
"That Harry bloke was alright." Sam, the boy who'd been fighting with Toni said, "But that Ron dude, was just weird."
Hermione laughed at that, "Come on, let's get back to having fun and enjoy the time we have!"
Draco slunk away, he turned around and watched her a couple of times, she managed to pull of some twirls, she was graceful, he'd never noticed that before. Shaking his head he walked back over to the cafe, intent on forgetting this night.
"You look grim." Lady Renaire exclaimed, "I'm nearly done here and then we can head back."
Draco nodded, lost in thought, muggles weren't the animals he'd thought they were, they were just different, the truth is he'd thought that for a long time, ever since he'd first met Granger, but he didn't know what to do about it, so he kept his mouth shut and as Granger had said parroted the things thought to him when he was younger.
"What did you think?" The older woman asked.
Draco shrugged, not entirely sure what to say, "I saw someone I knew from Hogwarts, a mud - a muggleborn." If she noticed him stumbling over the word she didn't comment.
"Ah, the Granger girl? I've seen her around a few times, though I've never properly met her, what's she like?"
Draco scoffed, "She's a bossy know it all bookworm, she's highly annoying, not first because she always has a retort but also because she's saved Potter's and Weasel's skins far too many times, she gets away with everything!"
Lady Renaire smirked, "How long have you liked her?"
"I - what?! You're crazy if you think that."
"Then call me crazy," she stopped walking and turned to face him, "How do you feel about her, ignore her blood or make it pure if you will, how would you feel about her then?" She stared at him for a bit before turning and carrying on.
Draco thought about the question whilst catching up on autopilot, 'Granger as a pureblood, God help him, he'd have asked her out months ago, she was smart, brilliantly so and so full of fire.' Malfoy stopped walking, 'He liked her. Merlin, she can't know, no one can!' and with his mind set, Draco was adamant that he'd push her away and stifle these pathetic feelings.
"How do you know so much about muggles anyway?" He said catching up, "Don't say it's just because you live nearby, that isn't the case, you might be a light witch but even you wouldn't put this much effort into it, unless you had a reason."
She nodded to him, "I do have a reason, however that does not mean you are privy to it," she paused as they reached the foot of the hill and flicked her wand, ending the illusion, "Just know that there will come a day when everything will change."
"Wait!" He called after her, "Why are you promoting this when the Dark Lord might be coming back, why did you take me with you?"
"Because you needed the company." She said ignoring the first question and walking up the hill.
Draco followed, put out that she hadn't responded and they walked up the hill in silence. He turned around when they reached the gate, looking back with an odd feeling in his chest, it felt heavy, shaking his head to dislodge the notion he schooled his face and shifted his occulmency pools. His godfather had started teaching him, it wasn't good for young children to be able to hide emotions, but Draco was a natural, which is why Snape had been teaching him earlier than most people would learn.
Draco turned and walked through the gate before offering his arm, wordlessly offering to escort Lady Renaire inside. She smiled at him and slipped her arm around his, making sure that her hand was positioned just so to adhere to decorum and they walked back into the ballroom. He escorted her over to her friends and made polite conversation with them for a while, but he could feel the eyes on him. He discreetly glanced around the room, there were a couple of important people looking at him, appraising him, after all he'd just escorted the hostess back inside after being out there for over an hour, if that didn't get the gossip machine whirring, he didn't know what would! Though most were unimportant and had in fact been watching him beforehand. But he wouldn't be feeling the effect of daggers in his back if it was them, it took him a couple of tries before he spotted his father in the corner of the ballroom, hiding partly in the shadows waiting for his son to acknowledge him, he nodded his head slightly indicating that he wanted to talk. Smirking slightly to cover the grimace he extracted himself, but as he turned away Lady Renaire gently placed a hand on his arm, "If you ever need help, do not hesitate to use this," she pressed a small object in his hand before smiling and moving away.
Draco swiftly put it in a pocket without glancing at it, otherwise he'd draw attention to it. He slowly made his way around the room, talking to some guests as he went. his father had moved off too, doing the same. And the guests could not say when it was exactly that both male Malfoy's disappeared completely just that they did, they seemed to be there one moment and gone the next.
"Father." Draco said entering the small drawing room, it was decorated in dark greens and pale purples.
Lucius stood silhouetted by the flames of the small fireplace he stood in front off, "Tell me, where did my son run off to in the middle of a ball?"
"I went outside, sir."
"You went outside." Lucius echoed back, "You left the room after not dancing with anyone and spurning almost every woman in the room and then had the audacity to escort the host back inside?"
"Yes father, she was also outside, we talked and I offered to escort her inside as a gentleman does."
Lucius scoffed, still facing the flames, "She did not deserve to be escorted by you, she is a light witch. A snivelling wimp who cannot understand the beauty and complexity of the dark." Draco for all purposes stood at attention, not daring to respond to his father, to do so would aggravate him further. However not saying anything seemed to anger him further, "Do you not agree Draco?" he whispered still staring into the depths of the fire.
"But of course, father."
"You are still a bad liar boy." He said turning around to face him, "Especially when I can tell you don't agree, when I'm not even facing you."
Draco again said nothing he just waited for the inevitable, he jumped slightly when he heard his father sighed, he never showed emotion something was very wrong. He looked up at his father, his whole body language had shifted.
"Son, I am sorry for what is about to happen but I cannot stop it, he's taking over, I'll be gone soon, when the time is right, tell your mother ambrosia, she'll understand." It was like someone Draco had know from his young childhood stood before him, before he disappeared again, "What did he say to you boy?" Lucius demanded.
"What did who say to me sir, we are the only ones here?" Draco said feigning ignorance.
Lucius looked at his son a moment before muttering a pain curse, not the cruciatus curse as there were people in attendance who were attuned to the sense of it, but a painful one nonetheless. He held his son under just long enough for him to fall to his knees, before lifting it and leaving the room.
Draco moved only when he heard the click of the door shutting behind him, he laboriously made his way over to a chair in front of the fire and muttered a healing spell groaning with relief when it worked, disregarding the trace as with having this many witches and wizards in attendance, the ministry couldn't say for certain that any magic cam from him. His thoughts were swimming in his head with the realisation that his father was under a spell of some sort, or he really was finally going insane, it wouldn't be too surprising. Draco leant back against the armchair, resting his head on his hand as he gazed at the flames, many thoughts going through his head from his parents, to muggles and Hermione. It felt like a long time as he sifted through the thoughts, if his father had been bewitched or possessed then when was it from, he thought back to when he was younger, his father had always been there for him, though he was cold around other people. It was only when Draco turned eleven that things started to change, he frowned as his mind wandered to the first time his father had disciplined him and shoved it into an occlumency pool. He needed to find out more information before he could do anything about his father, he wouldn't tell his mother yet as he wasn't sure the 'time was right'.
Once he'd made his mind up about that, he thought of Granger, he was uncomfortable to say the least at the thought of harm happening to her, which is what would happen if he was anything other than mean to her, he ignored the small voice in the back of his head telling him that he could help her. He stared at the flames not sure what to do; he knew he liked her when he thought of her and her blood separately, but the blood still repulsed him. He didn't know what to do about that, so he ignored it for now.
He glanced up at the clock on the mantle, he should get going soon, but first he slipped the object out of his pocket, it was a small pouch, inside there was a note and a small silver bracelet, it was liked two snakes entwined together; it was beautiful. He quickly opened and read the letter.
Dear Draco,
You're probably wondering how I wrote this to you, the truth is I wrote this before I even met you, it is quite strange really writing a letter to someone you've never met and hoping it will suffice. If I have given you this letter it means you passed and that I saw in you something worth helping. Do not mistake this for Hufflepuff naivety, I know who and what you are, but I know what you could become. I freely admit that I have my own reasons for this. But enough with the cryptic talk, it gets us everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
This bracelet will help to protect you, one snake is offensive and the other defensive. You can store secrets inside it and it will only respond to its owner, it cannot be commanded to act as if someone else is its owner as that is against its magic. One other notable ability it has is that it can send short messages to people that have touched it, so if you are ever in need of help, you must only ask. From my understanding it will also give you a gift, that is if it takes to you. It was a prize of a wizarding duel that one of my ancestors won, however we are all too much of the light for it to accept us, so it has gathered dust for years.
You still wonder why a stranger and witch of the light would give you this freely, note that though this is a gift I will expect something in return, not a bauble or some other trinket, but something I have no doubt you will give to me.
Sincerely,
Lady Clarrissant Renaire.
P.S. If it accepts you, feed it this note.
Draco stared a the letter, rereading it multiple times, wondering what it was she wanted from him. He closed his eyes, he could feel the beginnings of a headache, putting it aside he looked down at the snakes, "Hello?" Draco asked hesitantly, feeling slight out if his element what with the ride his emotions had been on over the last few hours.
One of the snakes hissed before it untangled itself from the other snake and proceeded up his arm to sniff his neck. Draco froze, it was a just a bracelet, why was it acting real, surely it wasn't a trap? He wondered when he felt a sharp prick on his neck, "You'll do nicely," someone commented.
He looked down at the snake, it was female he decided, he didn't know why but he did. The other snake, the male one slowly looked up, "Have you chosen a new host then?"
"Yes, he smells of fear and strength, he will be good, things will be interesting. I can see that he will decide the fate of many." she said tasting the air before slinking down his right arm and wrapping herself around his wrist.
The male one looked up at the boy in front of him before magically managing to leap the distance and biting Dracos neck on the left side, "Oh, he tastes good, you chose well, love." Somehow the voices appeared clearer now, like Draco had been waiting for something else to happen. Slowly he let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. "He doesn't talk much, does he?" The male snake said.
"What to you expect, we just came to life and bit him and now he can understand us. Given the emotions rolling off of him, I'm not surprised, he's been through a lot." The female responded dryly.
"The gift she referred to in the letter, was it parseltounge?" Draco asked, finally finding his voice.
"I like this one, he's smart." The female said, "I made a good choice."
"What're your names?" Draco asked, getting confused as what to call them.
"Balthazar." The male one said, "If you impress me enough and only then, then you may call me Zar."
"Evra." The female responded.
"I'm Draco."
"We know." The female said, hissing slightly as she was joined on his wrist by Balthazar, they were both silver, but Balthazar had green eyes and Evra had red.
"Can you tell me about yourselves?" He asked.
"You can speak to us in your head you know." Balthazar told him.
"You should be getting back soon." Evra told him.
Draco frowned, remembering where he was, for that one moment he forgot, he stood up slowly and put the pouch back in his pocket and fed the snakes the letter. He glanced in a mirror and fixed his expression and neck before leaving and mingling with the guests, careful to keep the bracelet hidden and stayed away from the hostess, not wanting to incur his fathers wrath further. For the rest of the evening he played the perfect little pureblood heir, with the snakes telling him little titbits about the people around him and themselves. Though the night ended fairly well, all he wanted was to go home and curl up on bed with a book, not that he'd ever own up to it.
A/N:
I was always under the impression that Malfoy had to grown up too quickly and that he was forced to not really show emotion. There probably will be a chapter where he bursts, though I truly have no idea what age he'll be, this just came to me and sets things up nicely so far.
I have an idea where I'm going and certain things I want to happen, but I've not written it out, I have a tendency to get bored if I do that, which my other muti-chaptered fic is suffering from.
Reviews are lovely.
(Seriously I'm likely to just imagine the story in my head instead of actually writing it, unless I know people are enjoying it).