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wish.
Thanks for all the reviews and suggestions! Here's the next chapter. Action!
As though Draco possessed the Second Sight, Voldemort's messenger arrived the next day. Narcissa started to rise to take the call but Draco laid a hand on her arm.
"I'll do it," he said quietly. "I'm the heir and I'm the only one they'll respect at this point." He went turned to the house-elf who had announced the visitors. "Show him in."
The messenger turned out to be Avery, one of the Dark Lord's lesser servants whose power was on the rise since Lucius' arrest. "Master Malfoy," he acknowledged. "My Lord asked that this be presented to your father." He held out a scroll sealed with the Dark Mark.
"I stand in his stead," Draco replied coldly. He took the parchment cautiously, ready to incinerate it if he felt even the slightest trace of anything magical about it. He wouldn't have put it beyond Voldemort to put some curse on the parchment to inflict his revenge not only on Lucius but on the entire Malfoy family. He felt nothing as he broke the seal and read the missive.
Avery watched closely. He knew what it was that he had just delivered, yet from Draco's expression it might have been a note about the date of some minor function. No emotion showed on the boy's face; he looked up and for a moment Avery could almost believe that Lucius had returned and was standing in front of him.
"You know what this means," Avery said. He struggled not to cringe under the silver gaze as he would have had it been the Lord of Malfoy Manor and not his fifteen-year-old son. People were not joking when they said that Draco was the spitting image of his father.
"I thought that being declared outcast carried an automatic death sentence?" Avery smiled sadistically.
"Ah yes. Now we get down to the point of this visit. Avada Kedavra!" Draco was ready for him. He ducked and came up under Avery, knocking him out with a well-placed punch. He really hated using his fists as weapons, but sometimes it was the only way.
Narcissa came up behind him, pressing something into his hands. "Your father is in danger. I need you to go to Azkaban right now; don't stop until you get to his cell. I'll have this taken care of and come as quickly as possible. Go!" Draco felt the jerk of a Portkey and disappeared in a whirl of color.
He landed just outside Azkaban. He hurried inside, past the body of the warden. Death Eaters had been here and were probably still here. Father's cell was on the fourth floor; he had to get there before it was too late. He had a plan in mind, but if Lucius was killed it could not be used.
He burst into the fourth floor hallway to find Death Eaters grouped around the cell trying to break through a flickering silver shield around the door. One of them turned to stun him; Draco shielded and kept going. For about two seconds he wondered if the Ministry would punish him for the use of magic over the summer, then remembered that the shields around the prison were too strong for the Ministry's tracking magic to penetrate.
The Healers had dropped their shield now and joined in the fight. Two of the Death Eaters, however, were still concentrating on the cell's occupant. The Healer within was hard-pressed and finally fell with a strangled cry. Draco watched in horror as a green streak of light arced toward his father. The Death Eaters turned away, confident of their aim and target. and the spell hit the cot as Lucius rolled sideways at the last minute. The Death Eaters did not notice, disappearing with a "crack!" As far as they knew, Lucius was dead. Draco looked around. The Healers were both unconscious and the Death Eaters had either killed or stunned all of the prison guards.
There was a "pop" as Narcissa Malfoy appeared. The wards must have been broken through at some point, Draco realized. Narcissa looked fearfully at her husband's still form. "He's not-"
"No. But we have to move quickly," Draco replied. He unlocked the door of the cell and knelt down next to his father. "Dad, can you stand?" Lucius winced and shook his head. "Mum, get Dad out of here. I'll come when I'm done here." Narcissa nodded. She touched Lucius' shoulder; both of them disappeared with another crack. Draco was already moving. He had work to do.
Thanks for all the reviews and suggestions! Here's the next chapter. Action!
As though Draco possessed the Second Sight, Voldemort's messenger arrived the next day. Narcissa started to rise to take the call but Draco laid a hand on her arm.
"I'll do it," he said quietly. "I'm the heir and I'm the only one they'll respect at this point." He went turned to the house-elf who had announced the visitors. "Show him in."
The messenger turned out to be Avery, one of the Dark Lord's lesser servants whose power was on the rise since Lucius' arrest. "Master Malfoy," he acknowledged. "My Lord asked that this be presented to your father." He held out a scroll sealed with the Dark Mark.
"I stand in his stead," Draco replied coldly. He took the parchment cautiously, ready to incinerate it if he felt even the slightest trace of anything magical about it. He wouldn't have put it beyond Voldemort to put some curse on the parchment to inflict his revenge not only on Lucius but on the entire Malfoy family. He felt nothing as he broke the seal and read the missive.
Avery watched closely. He knew what it was that he had just delivered, yet from Draco's expression it might have been a note about the date of some minor function. No emotion showed on the boy's face; he looked up and for a moment Avery could almost believe that Lucius had returned and was standing in front of him.
"You know what this means," Avery said. He struggled not to cringe under the silver gaze as he would have had it been the Lord of Malfoy Manor and not his fifteen-year-old son. People were not joking when they said that Draco was the spitting image of his father.
"I thought that being declared outcast carried an automatic death sentence?" Avery smiled sadistically.
"Ah yes. Now we get down to the point of this visit. Avada Kedavra!" Draco was ready for him. He ducked and came up under Avery, knocking him out with a well-placed punch. He really hated using his fists as weapons, but sometimes it was the only way.
Narcissa came up behind him, pressing something into his hands. "Your father is in danger. I need you to go to Azkaban right now; don't stop until you get to his cell. I'll have this taken care of and come as quickly as possible. Go!" Draco felt the jerk of a Portkey and disappeared in a whirl of color.
He landed just outside Azkaban. He hurried inside, past the body of the warden. Death Eaters had been here and were probably still here. Father's cell was on the fourth floor; he had to get there before it was too late. He had a plan in mind, but if Lucius was killed it could not be used.
He burst into the fourth floor hallway to find Death Eaters grouped around the cell trying to break through a flickering silver shield around the door. One of them turned to stun him; Draco shielded and kept going. For about two seconds he wondered if the Ministry would punish him for the use of magic over the summer, then remembered that the shields around the prison were too strong for the Ministry's tracking magic to penetrate.
The Healers had dropped their shield now and joined in the fight. Two of the Death Eaters, however, were still concentrating on the cell's occupant. The Healer within was hard-pressed and finally fell with a strangled cry. Draco watched in horror as a green streak of light arced toward his father. The Death Eaters turned away, confident of their aim and target. and the spell hit the cot as Lucius rolled sideways at the last minute. The Death Eaters did not notice, disappearing with a "crack!" As far as they knew, Lucius was dead. Draco looked around. The Healers were both unconscious and the Death Eaters had either killed or stunned all of the prison guards.
There was a "pop" as Narcissa Malfoy appeared. The wards must have been broken through at some point, Draco realized. Narcissa looked fearfully at her husband's still form. "He's not-"
"No. But we have to move quickly," Draco replied. He unlocked the door of the cell and knelt down next to his father. "Dad, can you stand?" Lucius winced and shook his head. "Mum, get Dad out of here. I'll come when I'm done here." Narcissa nodded. She touched Lucius' shoulder; both of them disappeared with another crack. Draco was already moving. He had work to do.