Ticket

Chapter Three

Dedicated to Revenge.

Hey everyone! Yeah, I'm still here. *dodges tomatoes* I have to apologise for the huge delay on this chapter, of course. School and life in general caught up with me, and I really didn't find any time to sit down and write. All I had were snippets of this chapter written in different notebooks for different subjects. :P But, Christmas hols finally rolled around and I could finish this. So, here it is, the new chapter of Ticket.

It was the first and the last time anyone would see Lucius Malfoy the way he was at that moment; slack jawed with his eyes open wide in disbelief. Yet, there was something else there too, something that Hermione could just make out in the dimly lit room. If she didn't know better, she'd think to say that it was a glimmer of hope, a sign of recognition.

"Explain yourself, Draco," the Malfoy patriarch said in his silky tone. Draco's dislike for the man was more than apparent in his answer.

"What does it look like to you, Father?" he asked, spitting the last word out venomously.

There was an audible shuffling noise in the corner of the room just as Lucius had opened his mouth to reply. Apparently, Harry had regained control of his good sense. He raised his wand, undoubtedly to hex the Death Eater, but stopped short at the look on Hermione's face. As costly as it was, this battle was between Draco and Lucius, and they had to respect that. They had no choice but to, really.

"It would seem to me that you are attempting to free and run off with Potter and his filthy friends," Lucius sneered, "but surely an idea such as this is preposterous."

Draco's steely grey eyes flashed angrily.

"Preposterous?" he repeated, his voice laced with sarcasm, "why, if there's anything I find preposterous here, it's you and your idiotic notions. Did you ever attempt to find the logic in your situation, Father? Here you are, a pureblood, head of one of the most ancient wizarding families, and you've pledged your allegiance to a half-blood lunatic who doesn't even have a nose. Your actions go against your very own philosophy! You've raised me to believe that mudbloods and half-bloods are beneath us, yet here you are, bending to a half-blood's whim. If that isn't hypocrisy then I don't know what is."

"The Dark Lord is a pathway for us to achieve our goals," Lucius hissed, "He is on the way to achieving what we have not been able to. And do not forget that he is descended directly from Salazar Slytherin himself. Once he finishes what he has started and purges the wizarding world of those that are…unworthy," he sneered, "we will have it the way it is to be."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, unable to understand how an intelligent, educated man like Lucius could possibly believe any of that drivel.

"You're fighting a losing battle there, Father. We all know that Potter's going to best Him…again."

Harry had an odd expression on his face at Draco's words, for he was quite unable to believe that his old enemy had faith in his abilities.

"You really think that, Draco? You believe that a seventeen- year old boy can best the most powerful wizard of all time? The only wizard to have defied Death?"

Draco laughed derisively.

"Don't you think it's a bit pathetic, the way such a great and powerful wizard spends his time obsessively hunting, as you said, a seventeen- year old boy? Not to mention that Potter, Weasley, and Granger have evaded old Baldy, or should I say, He-Who-Belongs- In-St. Mungos, several times," he finished daringly.

Lucius sputtered for a bit, while Harry, Ron, and Hermione stifled laughter. Draco, on the other hand, looked positively livid. His usually pale cheeks were flushed, his eyes looked like molten silver, his hair was a mess, his shirt was untucked, and his breathing was uneven. It was the most unhinged they had ever seen him. Hermione thought it befitted him to show a bit that wasn't hatred, contempt or bitterness.

Lucius, on the other hand, looked very unbecoming indeed. His blonde hair was in complete disarray, and he looked as though he had run a marathon whilst being chased by a herd of angry hippogriffs.

"This is not how I raised you, Draco," Lucius snarled, "turning against your family, betraying everything we believe in-" he was cut off by Draco's scoff.

"Raised?" Draco asked incredulously, "the only one around here that did any raising was Mother, and even she spent more than half of her time planning some party or organizing the next luncheon. When you were home long enough to spend any time with me, Father, all you did was drill your nonsense into my brain and berate me for my shortcomings. You restricted who I could meet and make friends with, you kept constant tabs on what I did, and you let me have no freedom at all," Draco finished his rant, clenching his fists angrily.

At his last words, a rather pained expression had come across Lucius's face. As Hermione looked up at the tall, pale man with his aristocratic features and haughty demeanor, she saw a flash of something in his stormy grey eyes. Regret. It was gone so quickly she thought she may have imagined it. But when she glanced over at Draco, she knew she could not have been mistaken, for by the expression on her classmate's face, he too had seen it. Harry, however, was staring down at something in his hands with an intense concentration. Ron was glancing over at him nervously, while Hermione narrowed her eyes, wondering what the two were up to now. But as for the father and son, their gazes had never wavered from each other.

"There is still time, Father," Draco said, a little bit of desperation now creeping into his voice, "we could still change sides. Mother…" he trailed off, his eyes jaded.

Lucius shook his head.

"No, Draco. It is much too late for that now. We wouldn't even last day," he whispered, "the Dark Lord would find us, and our fate would be even worse than death."

Draco paled considerably, and Ron looked at Lucius, his eyes wide with disgust.

"Mr. Malfoy, sir," Hermione started, and all the heads in the room snapped around in her direction, "the Order could keep you safe. There are many safe houses where you could be hidden."

A sardonic smile appeared on Lucius's face.

"Your Order is failing, girl. Your lot can't protect themselves, why would they protect a Death Eater and his family? No. Our place is here; for that is the path we have chosen. There is no going back for me now.

"I'm not foolish, Father," Draco said softly, "I realize I'm not likely to survive. But when I die, I don't want it to be in vain. I'd rather die fighting for the side I believe in."

Lucius raised his wand, then suddenly dropped it and looked away.

"Then go," he said, so softly that it was barely audible.

A crack announced the arrival of Dobby, who, upon casting a fearful look at Lucius, grabbed on to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and upon a moment's hesitation, Draco as well. The last thing Draco saw before the room started to spin around him was his father's grey eyes, and as he looked into them, the man gave him an odd half smile and a curt nod. And there it was. The redemption of Lucius Malfoy.

So, how was it? Probably not worth the wait, but it's mainly my thoughts on Draco and Lucius in general. Please review, especially with any mistakes you've found, or any suggestions you have. Just click that there button. ;)