Chapter 2 A Malfoy Type of Summer

Draco jumped from the last step off the Hogwarts Express into King's Cross. End of June, and he was finally going home. His sigh of relief was cut short, however, by a silver snake coming to rest upon his shoulder.

"This is neither the time nor place to let your hair down," a silver-tongued man with equally silver hair whispered from behind him.

"Of course not father," Draco drawled in reply, "I was merely relieved that I would be spending the next few months away from these plebeians. Then it's only one more year and I am away from these muggle lovers forever." He looked up at his father, his smirk only showing the barest bit of uncertainty. He shouldn't have made the mistake of dropping his mask; too much depended on it.

Lucius only nodded, snapped his fingers, and as two house elves picked up Draco's trunks and blinked out of existence. Lucius apparated away. Draco, who had taken his test in the spring, and was still a little nervous, followed a moment later.

His mother was waiting for him, and drew Draco into a crushing hug before kissing him on the crown of his head.

"Mum, I can't breathe," Draco complained, a little smile playing on his lips.

"I just worry about you each time you come home. A mother can come up with so many horrible thoughts in the time between Hogwarts and London. I really wish they would let us apparate you home from Hogsmeade." Narcissa walked from the foyer, and Draco followed, knowing his mother wanted to talk more. Sometimes it was a little trying being an only child. Lucius smiled, and walked up the stairs to his study. "How was school dear, tell me everything," Narcissa looked at her son expectantly.

"Mum, I write you every week about school."

"I know, but those letters are so general," she said as she descended the long set of stairs which lead them far underneath the manor. "You never know who could intercept them, so you're never able to tell me more than classes are going well."

They passed through an archway, and the skin on the back of Draco's neck tingled, signaling the magical wards. Finally, free. Narcissa turned and watched as her son, now a young man, visibly relaxed and took a deep breath. He looked several years younger, but tired. Maybe someday he could rest and be carefree as he was when he was a child.

"School...was interesting. We got to go forward in time with that temporal portkey they told you about. Unfortunately, they obliviated us, so I don't remember anything about it."

"How far in the future?" she asked, continuing the conversation though she knew. They did sign the permission papers.

"Thirteen years," Draco walked to the back of the warded room, opened the cupboard and took out a box of crackers. The room was warded against all but the three Malfoys, not even house elves could enter, so one had to fetch their own food. "We spent a month in the future, were given important information about how our lives would turn out, and then everything was taken from us." He flopped onto the overstuffed couch and loosened his tie. "Big waste of time if you ask me."

Narcissa smiled. "Not a complete waste of time. A worried mother now gets to know that her only son lives past these dark times." She shooed his feet from the table he had propped them on and gave him "the look." Instantly he straightened his posture and sat properly on the couch. He smiled an apology to her while eating more crackers. She sat across from him.

"Assuming that the Dark Lord isn't active in thirteen years..." Draco smiled roguishly.

Narcissa narrowed her eyes. "Draco Malfoy, do not deliberately attempt to bait your mother..."

"Sorry Mum, you just seem more...I don't know, cautious than usual."

Narcissa's eyes darkened a little. "Your father has been called away more frequently in the last month than the beginning of the year combined. Voldemort is moving quickly. He is extremely paranoid. Right now he is telling all of his followers different things trying to weed out the spies. Lucius seems to be in the handful which he trusts the most, which is lucky since Snape doesn't trust any of the information given right now to pass along to the Order without betraying his position."

"At least they still have father. Do you think they will attack over the summer?" he asked munching on some crackers.

"If not this summer, then sometime in the winter. The Order has been alerted as much as it can be. Some of the higher priority members have been taken into hiding lest they be attacked. And as long as the Potter boy stays wherever he stays for the holidays he should be safe."

"Oh Saint Potter! Living in the lap of luxury as all the rest of us fear for our lives, or the lives of our families. I hope he chokes on his silver spoon."

A voice came from the archway as Lucius walked in. "Draco, I would be careful were I you. You of all people should know that appearances are not always as they seem. Count your blessings as you have them. You at least have both parents."

"A lack of parents does not excuse his behavior, Father. Even if he is or was some Savior doesn't give him the right to break the rules willy nilly. Were I a professor, I would have given him detention for the rest of his known existence for some of the stunts he's pulled."

Lucius merely smiled, and did not point out some of the stunts his own son pulled on occasion. "I am not saying to become the boy's best friend. I am pointing out that you should be more observant before you make assumptions about people. I thought I taught you better. How are things in Slytherin?"

Draco sighed and ran his hands through his hair; it was getting longer and falling in his eyes now a days. Maybe he should make an appointment in Diagon Ally. "Not much progress. Most of the seventh years are staying neutral, and they left Hogwarts this year, so there isn't much opportunity to persuade them to take a side. Fourth and down are still too attached to their parent's views. It's not like the students can openly revolt against their parents, but a few more have seen what an insane nutter Voldemort is. I think a lot of the sixth years had their fill last Easter."

Draco became a little withdrawn, remembering the spring holiday. As a taste to the "joys" of Death Eater life the sons and daughters of Death Eaters were allowed to accompany their parents on a muggle raid. It was a night of gore and pain Draco wished not to remember. Least favorably remembered were the looks of glee on most parent's, and even a few children's, faces. That night made most of the older Slytherin students come to Draco the day after, pleading asylum.

"You are doing a wonderful job, Draco, as important as my own in all of this. I would rather not see young men and women lose their lives or be sent to Azkaban because of all of this," Lucius said, putting a hand on his shoulder. The smile Draco gave was a little forced, and he went back to eating crackers.

Seeing his distress, Narcissa and Lucius decided that was enough reminiscing about the past year. This room, warded against magical eavesdropping, served its purpose. Lucius turned the discussion to thoughts of where to have the family summer vacation in Switzerland or Italy as well as plans to go see some professional quidditch games in Ireland and France.

It was true what Narcissa said. Lucius was away more times than he was home during the summer. Even during the trip to Venice, he was called away. Each time Narcissa got more and more worried, more nervous. Draco knew there was something they weren't telling him, but he didn't push the issue.

The one trip that wasn't interrupted was the Chudley Cannons' quidditch match in France. It was amazing, and while Draco was saddened about missing the one in Ireland, this more than made up. The Cannons won by an amazing 250 points.

Draco also paid several visits to his godfather during the summer. Severus was always in need of assistance brewing potions during the summer, and because it was something Draco truly excelled at, he had no qualms about paying a visit now and again, chopping roots and preparing herbs. His favorite so far was the Wolfsbane they brewed for Lupin every month. He almost had the complex potion down to a point where he could make it on his own.

The rest of the summer was spent with friends, practicing quidditch, and reading the Dark Arts books his father provided him ("It's always good to know what you're up against. Besides, you only got an A in Defense Against the Dark Arts; it's good to exercise the mind over summer holidays."). All was quiet at Malfoy Manor, until the week before school...

Draco was in a hidden nook off the safe room reading Peculiar Potions and Brews when his father came in, followed by Narcissa.

"He's not even 18 yet, what would they want with him?" She was half yelling once they passed the archway and she looked quite distressed. Draco peeked up from his book, but didn't show any other sign of eavesdropping on his parents.

"I know, Narcissa, and I will try and keep them at bay for as long as I can, I am just unsure of how long that will be. With the loyalty I claim to have, it is expected of Draco to follow in my footsteps, and there is little I can do to dissuade them."

"You promised me," she screamed at him, launching at him and beating at Lucius' chest with her fists. "You promised when he was born that you would get us out of this. But the more you promise the more it seems we get wrapped up in it all. It's suffocating me Lucius, and it's going to kill my son. That man is going to kill my son, and you're just going to let him, all for information for the bloody Order!"

Lucius grabbed her fists in his hands and strong-armed her down. "Do not you ever accuse me of not putting my family first! I have done nothing for the last seventeen years but try and accomplish just that!" he bellowed back. Lucius closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and lowered his voice to a pitch that Draco had to strain to hear. "I swear to you Narcissa, I will die before they mark my son. I will hold them off as long as I can, but there will come a time where I cannot anymore and you and Draco will have to run. I may not be able to join you. You will have to prepare for the notion that I may not be able to run with you, because once I tell you to run, you cannot look back for me." He opened his eyes and looked into Narcissa's and she broke down in wretched sobs against him. Lucius wrapped his arms around her, turning his face into her hair, and Draco couldn't see the expression on his face.

Feeling like a 5 year old catching his parents fighting, Draco took that moment of distraction and slipped silently out of the safe room. He padded up to his room, and shut the door. Leaning back against it, he raised the sleeve on his left arm and looked at the perfect, unmarred skin. Stupid Harry Potter for letting Voldemort live; and stupid Voldemort. With a dry sob he slid down to the floor, still holding his arm. So much grief over a stupid piece of flesh.

Lucius sat on the floor, holding his wife, even after the weeping had subsided. They both sat there in silence for a few moments, lost in their own worlds.

"What happened?" Narcissa whispered.

"We raided Potter's household. Severus barely had time to alert the Order. By the time they got there, the muggles had already been tortured, though not long enough to have any lasting effects. Potter was not harmed. It was a reconnaissance mission. The Dark Lord wanted to know how Potter fought, what spells he commonly used. He is good, but not good enough to go up against Voldemort, yet. Even though he took out several Death Eaters, we almost had him by the time the Order arrived. I can only chock it up to the crocks Dumbledore has had as Defense teachers. He has a natural ability for it, but has not had the right teacher to hone those skills. I recognized some of Lupin's work in him, so hopefully he will take the position back for their seventh year."

"Will Potter's muggle family be all right?"

"Physically, yes. Emotionally – I do not think those people will ever be all right. What damage was done before has been increased by what we have done. We observed them for the majority of the day before attacking. I thought Dumbledore's statement about Harry's home life were exaggerated; put in a few more pitiful words to increase the drive to protect the boy. How I saw those people treat the boy was nothing compared to what he said."

"Did they hurt him?"

"There was not any physical abuse as much as there was neglect. He is a house elf to them, and they regard him as less than that. It does not look like he has had a good meal all summer."

Narcissa rested her head on his shoulder. "What happened after the Order arrived?"

"We retreated with the information we gathered. We reassembled and gave our reports. I told Voldemort that he was good, but not great, and it was probably because of dimwits and half breeds Dumbledore used for Defense professors. After the reports were given, Voldemort took me aside and asked about whether I thought Draco was ready to take the mark and take his place among the Death Eaters. I told him that I would like to wait until after Hogwarts, since he would be in close quarters with other students and could be discovered. He argued that it would instead secure the followers within the student population, but seemed content to wait a while. I am just unsure how long he will be complacent."

Silence drew between the two.

"I'm sorry I accused you of being a bad father," Narcissa whispered. "I was upset. I know you're trying to end this."

"With a name as seeped in dark magic as mine, it is not easy to switch to light without endangering you and Draco. It just takes time. Be patient with me."