This was written for the Draco Workshop Challenge at The DG Forum (yes, we have workshops on Draco. :P ).

The guidelines:

Challenge: Choose ONE (1) of the following scenes in which Draco has done or is about to do something negative (relating to the above characterisation list). Write a short drabble (100-500 words) from Draco's PoV, which illustrates his humanity in the midst of his depravity.

My prompt: "Draco fails to name Harry at Malfoy Manor". This clocked in at 351 words.

A Name

The face was swollen and grotesque. Draco wouldn't want to look at it on the best of days, but this wasn't the best of days (was there even such a thing anymore?), and everyone was demanding he look.

Everyone was demanding he give the name.

Draco stared into the green eyes that stared so defiantly back at him (was it really defiance, or was it fear?). He tried not to think that the eyes looked familiar. He tried not to think that the black messy hair reminded him of that person. Names had power, and speaking this one would change everything. It was best just to imagine that there were no similarities.

Don't mistake the matter. It was not this grotesque-looking boy he wanted to protect (wasn't it?). But they had placed Draco as the giver of a death sentence, and he wasn't sure he could handle such a responsibility. The very simplicity of it was what made it so frightening. He didn't even have to kill the boy himself. He just had to say a name and someone else would do it for him.

So easy. So terrifying.

It can't be him, he reminded himself. It looks nothing like him.

But there was his aunt Bellatrix leaning over him, urging him to speak, and there were his mother and father watching, hoping. This name could save them all. This name could give them the respect they needed. This name would change everything.

Draco looked at the swollen face in front of him, so familiar, so unfamiliar. Black hair. Green eyes. It was common enough.

Once (maybe twice), he'd thought he'd like to see the git dead—if it really was him. There was plenty of hate in his veins, plenty of jealousy and cruelty. But there was also tiredness. So much tiredness.

So much confused fear.

The green eyes stared at him, questioning. Draco looked away. Maybe he didn't even have to say the name. Maybe he just had to nod.

Maybe.

"Well, Draco?" his aunt prompted, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Is it him?"

Draco looked back at the swollen face.

He hesitated.