Hi to you all!

First of all, a big THANKS for all your reviews, they're simply wonderful. They made me so so happy! THANKS!

Second, the question still remains: do you want slash or het? However it will take a while before getting there, so you don't need to rush :p

Third, a little WARNING. There will be SLIGHT VIOLENCE in this chapter. If you think that the rating of the story is wrong for this, please tell me and I'll correct immediately.

Fourth, GOOD READING! Here's the chapter!

CHAPTER THREE

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ANOTHER TIME, ANOTHER PLACE ...

A loud scream echoed in the empty hallways of the Mansion. It was a scream of pure pain that could pierce the ears and soul of every mortal. Then a sinister laugh followed that cry. It spoke of madness, of cruelty, of evil.

Many in the Mansion shivered uncontrollably at that baleful sound. Nobody dared to help the unfortunate victim. They knew that even if they only thought to, they would end up dead by the hand of the Dark Lord. Besides the writhing body on the floor deserved to be punished by their almighty Lord. He had failed the task given him by their Lord. And failure was not acceptable. It must be disciplined for never making the same mistake twice. However the man in question was in no shape to be tortured again, the few days in Azkaban and the rest of the time under the ire of Voldemort had taken their tool on the now broken man. Still the Dark Lord had to vent his remaining anger against somebody. And what better way to do it than torture the only son and heir in front of the father?

That was exactly what he did.

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That day, a week after school ended, Draco Malfoy was brought down in the dungeons of the Manor by two cloaked figures with a white mask. Then they shoved him in the same cell where his father was kept.

It took him a few moments to be able to see in the dark that permeated the place. When his eyes were used to the lack of light, the sight that welcomed him almost made him sick. There on the dirty floor of the cell laid his father. He was covered in blood, some old some recent, from the many cuts on his body. One arm and one leg were surely broken, they were positioned in impossible angles. Draco was sure that his father had other broken bones since his breathing was labored. Besides even an untrained eye could see that the man was too thin to have had decent meals during his captivity.

Draco was terrified to see his father reduced in that state.

He wasn't stupid. He knew why he was brought down there: he was merely a replacement for his father to bring in front of the Dark Lord and be tortured in his place. Only the thought of what would happen to him was enough to scare him to death. He knew how the Dark Lord reasoned: do your task properly and you're safe, maybe; fail and you must pay dearly for your mistake. There were no exceptions. And he, Draco, was the next. The father had failed and his son had to pay. That was how things worked for their Lord.

Draco had often wondered why his father had accepted to be treated in such a way and he had never been able to answer it. He was raised with the belief that a Malfoy bowed to no one, that a Malfoy was above everyone and respected by all. Then voice that Voldemort was coming back started to circulate and his father changed. From the loving and kind parent Draco knew, he became a stern and demanding man, nothing Draco did seemed to be enough for him. When the Dark Lord really returned his father bowed to him and endured without complaint his punishments. He acted like a mere slave. And Draco watched shocked all of this from afar, never interfering or asking for an explanation.

That was when he first doubted his father's choices. He firmly believed what he learned during his childhood and what his father had been doing went against everything they taught him. He had no intention to bow to no one, neither to the most believed powerful wizard alive, whether dark or light. He would not tolerate to be treated like a slave and be ordered around only to be tortured most of the time.

There was also the weird voice he had heard while at school: Voldemort was a mere halfblood. At first he laughed it off believing it was a mere lie, but then he heard Potter saying it, and never once Potter had lied about something really important. So Voldemort was really a vile halfblood, one that was able to deceive everyone, even his father.

There was no way Draco would follow willingly someone like Him. His face turned green in disgust every time he thought about it. So when his father informed him during the previous Christmas break that during the following summer he would receive the Mark, he started evaluating how he could escape it and he formed a plan.

However now that he was a prisoner in the dungeons in his own home, everything he had planned with accuracy was no more possible. For the moment, at least. First, he needed an opportunity to escape from the Manor without being killed, then he could put into practice the plan, with a slight alteration of course.

Just then he heard a soft whimper next to him and he almost yelped scared from the sound. He abandoned his thoughts to see his father regain consciousness.

He watched while the man on the ground blinked once, then turned his gaze on the figure next to him. At first Draco saw his perplexed look with a hint of hope. The words Draco spoke next defeated that hope. "Hello Father. I see you woke up at least. Don't misunderstand. You're not free from your Lord's ire. It's me that was dragged to you, not the other way around. I have to thank you because I'm going to be tortured in your place, since you're not able to endure much more. Isn't he clever, your lovely Lord?", sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"What are you talking about?", retorted a perplexed Lucius, angry at his son's accusation. "Don't you dare speak of our Lord in that manner! I taught you better than that! Show some respect!".

"Respect?! You're talking to me about respect? Ha! What a joke. You're the one bowing to a mere halfblood like a vile servant! Have you forgotten that we Malfoys bow to no one? It's the first thing I learned from you, and here you are, branded like a mere animal, bowing to who is inferior to you! Have you lost your mind?", Draco almost shouted. "Look what He did to you! He cursed you until you lost consciousness, your body is full of cuts and blood, you have numerous broken bones, you are famished and everyone in the Manor laugh at you. Where is the respect for us here? Can you tell me?".

"Our Dark Lord is a pureblood and He's the most powerful wizard I've ever seen. I don't know where you heard that disgusting lie about him being a halfblood, you were deceived", Lucius responded, still angry at his son. "Besides what He did to me is legitimate since I failed him in bringing to him the prophecy and capture that damned brat. And if He decided to punish you, you have to accept it without complaints. It means He accepts you among his ranks. It's a honor for our family. Don't disobey Him and if He gives you a task do everything in your power to carry it out. It's a chance for our family to regain his trust", he commanded.

Draco watched him speechless with wide eyes. After everything his father suffered because of the Dark Lord, he still believed that He was right in what He did. It went without doubt that his father had lost the sense of reason, he even agreed in letting his only son being tortured! It was outrageous.

"I'm done talking to you. It's clear that you have lost your mind. However I have a little question for you. How can He be so powerful if he is constantly defeated by a mere teenager?", and with that Draco turned around with his back at his father and ignored him.

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It was a few hours later that Draco heard footsteps approaching his cell. He dreaded what would come next. There were only two possibilities: one, they were coming to bring him to their Lord; two, it was someone who would help him escape.

Unfortunately the first hypothesis was the one correct.

Two cloaked figures in black brought him in the room where the Dark Lord used to do his meetings with his followers and torture his victims. Draco was his next prey.

"Crucio", was all he heard before pain clouded his senses and he started screaming like there would be no tomorrow. It seemed like hours to him before the curse was lifted from his body, in reality it lasted only minutes.

He was still shaking for the after-effects of the curse, when he heard the same sibilant voice speaking. "Bring Narcissa here".

Draco wanted to scream to them to stop, that his mother had nothing to do with all of that. They couldn't touch her or he would kill them. But he was too weak, his voice didn't come to him and all he could do was watch while they pushed her near him.

She turned her head towards him and whispered. "Run away from here, my little dragon. Ask Harry Potter for help, he will give it to you, I'm sure. You can trust Severus with everything. Know that I have always loved you".

Then the Dark Lord started speaking. "Lucius, you know that what happened at the Ministry is intolerable and you must be punished with death for your failure". Lucius bowed his head, ready to accept his fate. "However, I'm also aware you are somehow to our cause, so, in my magnanimity, I decided to give you an opportunity", continued the sibilant voice.

"Whatever you want, my Lord, I will do it for you", responded Lucius with alacrity.

"Very well. You will have your life safe, but in exchange you have to pay a price for it. Do you want to pay it?", asked Voldemort.

"Yes, my Lord", replied Lucius without a trace of uncertainty.

"Then kill her", said Voldemort calmly, while indicating Narcissa in front of him.

Draco stopped breathing. He hoped against hope that Lucius wouldn't do it, but he knew the truth. His father was a Slytherin and as such he would do everything to survive, even kill his wife.

He saw his mother pale and locking eyes with him, communicating silently all her love for her son. The two words were said from behind "Avada kedavra", and she was dead.

Draco screamed all his anger and sorrow, until a second spell was said, this time directed at him. All was pain again and he lost consciousness.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"Ennervate", a familiar voice whispered.

Draco whimpered from the pain that he was still feeling from the torture. He found that he had a few cuts on his back, but no broken bones, fortunately.

He turned his attention to the figure next to him, when a vial with a blue liquid inside was presented near his mouth. "It's a pain reliever I perfected to counteract the effects of Cruciatus. The normal ones aren't enough for that. Drink it and then put everything you will need in your trunk. You are going to escape from here", his godfather said.

"Why are you helping me, Sev? And where will I go? I have nowhere to go now, my fath- no, that man killed Mother", Draco responded with teary eyes.

"Don't worry. You can stay at my home for a few days. Then we will find a solution. Now drink and start packing. Your father agreed for you to be the plaything of the Dark Lord. I swear, he lost his mind, that disgusting man".

It took Draco only fifteen minutes to pack everything he wanted to bring with him. Then Severus shrunk the trunk and handed him a portkey for Spinner's End, his Manor.

Draco took it and vanished away.

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"Sorry Draco. You can't stay here anymore. Your father had became suspicious of me. He wants to come here under the pretense to see how I'm doing and investigate if you are hiding here".

"It's not your fault, Uncle Sev. We knew I couldn't stay here. We made a plan, do you remember? Only promise me one thing: that you will stay safe. Don't be a bloody Griffindor and risk your life for others, you are the only family I have left. Now I will fetch my stuff and go. Take care", Draco hugged his godfather and left.

He apparated in a dead dark alley near a nameless hotel in London. It was often used by students like him who wanted to spend their summer holidays visiting the city. He went inside the building and paid for a room with a single bed, while ignoring the curious looks he was receiving for his bruises.

Then he went in his room and breathed a trembling sigh. He was so not used to such cheap places. They were always dirty and uncomfortable. However he couldn't afford for more at that moment. "Tomorrow I'll go to Gringotts, but now it's better if I go to bed I'm still aching all over, damn monster".

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The next day Draco disguised himself in muggle clothes, borrowed from his godfather and tied his hair in a ponytail. It was a perfect disguise for a Malfoy, in fact who would believe a Malfoy would dress like a muggle? Nobody would notice him in the crowd of Diagon Alley, not even his father, especially him. Not that he was happy to wear clothes like that, but when the need call you don't have much choice.

Half an hour later, Draco entered the Leaky Cauldron. It was the first test to see if his camouflage was successful. It was, not a single person paid notice to him. He breathed a sigh of relief. Now he needed only to reach the bank and do his business. However a copy of the Daily Prophet captured his attention: in the front page there was an article about him with his photograph.

LUCIUS MALFOY DISINHERITS HIS OWN SON

It is with great shock that this humble reporter informs her dear readers that this morning Lucius Malfoy went to the Ministry of Magic to proclaim that from today his son and only heir is disowned. I personally witnessed him sign the documents pertaining this matter.

When asked about the reason behind this action, he spoke in a sorrowful tone.

"Regrettably, we see the world in a different way. He no longer believes in the Family tradition, opinion that I discovered only yesterday. I tried to make him see reason, but he shrugged me off and packed his things to leave home. My wife was so hurt by his decision that she felt ill and had to go away in our Mansion in France to recover from the shock. However she sadly agreed with me in my decision to disown our son, who so greatly disappointed and hurt us".

Draco couldn't believe his eyes. He had read only the beginning of the article and he already felt sick at the lies his father invented to justify his actions. He even mentioned his mother, the same woman he didn't hesitate to kill. How he wanted to be one to end that bastard's life! He incinerated the paper, not wanting to read more of the article and left the inn.

Once in the main alley he went directly in Gringotts and waited his turn to speak with a goblin.

"Hi, I want the statements regarding my vault, please", he asked. If there was a useful thing his former father didn't taught him, it was that if you treat the goblins with respect and without saying silly thing, then they will be less spiteful and do what you need faster.

"Wait a moment, I'll get them", the goblin responded.

While he was waiting for the documents, Draco glanced around to be sure no one had recognized him. It was in that moment that he glimpsed a familiar pair of green eyes. To say he was utterly shocked was an understatement.

"What is doing Potter here? Didn't he need t o stay at his relatives' house to stay safe? This is interesting. I only hope he doesn't shout my name here or I'll be dead", he mused when he saw the boy recognized him. Fortunately, Potter's car started its run and the boy disappeared before he had time to process and say even a single world.

"Maybe I need to change my plans afterall. It can give me a chance to execute my revenge", he pondered after he had finished his business in Gringotts. He left with a sly smirk on his lips while he made new plans.

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It was almost dark outside, only if you watched carefully you could notice a black figure walking fast on the street. Or better, you could see a black cloak which covered a tall and slender figure. You couldn't see the face, but you could say with no much doubt that it was a man, or boy.

Said figure stopped in front at a house, a house like many others in the street. The cloaked person stood in front of the door and whispered something no one near could hear. Then he entered.

He took down the hood of his cloak and checked every room. Then he went with confidence in the most poor one. The figure sneered at the plain room and with an almost repulsed sigh, he sat on the shaky chair, the only one in the room.

Then he waited.

When he heard a door open and footsteps climbing the stairs, he smiled.

It was time for the show to start.

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