Big thanks to Hidden Lily for the beta and to all readers and reviewers. I was gonna post this last night, but the internet went away for a bit. Hope you like!
NOTE: In this chapter I mention the Andover Workhouse scandal (Find it here, remove spaces: http : // en. wikipedia .org /wiki/Andover_workhouse_scandal), which was a real event. This of course means that you can place this story in the year 1846, but I'm not completely sure you should do this, as other things might not fit with the real historic timeline. FIction with wizards in it, remember ;)
Chapter 8: A Book
Lucius observed their spell-casting with a critical eye. Draco was waving his wand dramatically, trying to show off his knew skills. Harry was the exact opposite, only barely producing the desired effect.
'Very good, boys,' Lucius stopped them. 'You've clearly learned a lot.' Draco smirked at the praise. 'Now I want you to remember that even though it is summer, you are big boys now and there will be work every week. You must maintain your new skills and knowledge.' Both boys nodded. 'Harry, you need to be more determined in your wand work.' The boy immediately bowed his head in shame. 'I know you are perfectly capable, Harry,' Lucius told him. 'Just be conscious of your wrist movements.'
'Yes, Sir,' Harry murmured.
'All right, off you go and have fun.' Draco grabbed Harry's hand before Lucius had even finished the sentence, and off they went. Lucius chuckled and went back to his work.
He was actually reading a very disturbing report on a workhouse in Andover. The place seemed even more appalling than the workhouse in which he had found Harry. The Master of the house had been sacked, and there was going to be a new board set up to better monitor the workhouses. Lucius approved of this, though he didn't get his hopes up much as his faith in muggles wasn't very high. Still, he hoped this would prove a good development for his work.
His interest in the odd institution of workhouses and the principle of "less eligibility" had come and gone over the years since Harry's arrival. Since he discovered Harry's magic ability, however, his interests had shifted. How many other wizards and witches were lost in this tragic system? The fact that they were muggleborn was not an issue Lucius could ignore, but he had rather easily justified his fascination: if they could all be rescued, they could be brought up in the wizarding world. They would have the right view of the world, the right culture and the new blood Lucius knew deep down they needed. It really was good for everyone all around. They could rescue the children that were stuck in those horrible places, either due to their parents' poverty or having been abandoned for their strangeness, and get rid of their muggleborn-ness all in one.
He just needed to find a way to detect them before it was time for them to go to Hogwarts. With the current system, orphaned muggle children received financial support from the Ministry, but there wasn't actually any real system to control where they went during the summer, and no one outside the Ministry seemed to know much about detecting muggleborns at all. Also, those whose parents were also in the workhouses, what of them? Lucius suspected the current system for muggleborn detection was simply missing a lot of children. He wanted to form a research group to look into the situation, and he had the contacts at the Ministry to get all the information on their current routines. There was just the question of if, or how, Hogwarts detected this magic. Dumbledore must have his own ways, for how else had he found Harry?
He couldn't very well ask the man, for he didn't want anyone to know what he was doing. It was his secret project, for now. So he was just going to have to work with what he had.
The report disgusted him thoroughly, and he fervently hoped the new board would improve things. He decided to begin research immediately and went to the library to find every book he had on the Ministry and muggleborn detection.
XXX
Lucius woke early so he could get right back to his work. He wanted to get an outline of the history of muggleborn detection. It wasn't easy, as there was no official history, but luckily there were quite a few books in the Malfoy library that held references. He needed to sort through them before he went to the Ministry's archives.
He reached the wide double doors, which opened magically, and strode into his prized library. It was one of the biggest rooms, apart from the ballrooms, in Malfoy Manor. From the doors there was a clear line to the high cathedral-like windows and a comfortable chair and desk. The ceiling was very high over this area. To the right and left were several rows of books, all stretching back underneath the balcony of the first floor that wound like a horse-shoe around the room. Up there was another long row of books following the shape, with a winding ornate staircase by the double doors.
He was about to go straight to the desk and the stacks of books waiting for him, when he heard a muffled thud from the rows of books to his right. He walked forward, checking each row only to find them empty – until the very last where he saw his son trying to float down another book from a high shelf, around five already strewn around his feet.
Lucius frowned. Draco was allowed to look for books in the library, but he had clear instructions on which rows were suitable for him, and the row he currently occupied wasn't one of them. However, he could well guess what Draco was looking for: potions books, only far too advanced potions books.
Lucius watched as Draco floated a book down from the very top shelf and Lucius frowned. It was a rather small book and didn't look like the other bulky tomes that filled the rest of the shelf. It jogged something in his memory. There was a reason that book was tucked away in the wrong section, and on the top shelf.
Draco grabbed the book and opened it, furrowing his brows in confusion. He turned page after page, getting more confused. Lucius abruptly realised there was nothing written on the pages, and he knew which book it was.
'Draco,' he snapped. His son's head snapped up, his eyes wide and guilty. 'Put the book down this instant.'
'I was just-'
'Accio book!' Lucius hadn't drawn his wand so fast since the last war. The book flew from Draco's hand and Lucius' fears were confirmed when it reached him. 'This book is not for you.'
'But what is it? It's just blank.' Lucius strode down the row and started flicking his wand, sending the other books back to their places. Draco followed them with his eyes and Lucius could see his son was impatient to improve his spellcasting, looking envious at how easily Lucius manipulated the books.
'Where is Harry?'
'Doing homework,' Draco shrugged.
'As you should be. What made you think you had permission to wander in the library?' Draco looked down at his feet with a bashful expression.
'I just wanted to impress Professor Snape. He says I've got potential.' Lucius told himself this was not the time to feel pride. His son needed to be punished.
'Then you should do your assigned homework to the best of your abilities, not go snooping in places I have expressly forbidden you. One day you will be able to handle these books, but that day is not today. Do you understand?'
'Yes, Father,' Draco replied dutifully, sounding disappointed but resigned.
'Go back to Harry. I will consider your punishment and let you know.' Draco was about to scurry away when he sneaked a peak up at Lucius.
'What is that book?' he asked. Lucius sighed. He wanted his son to understand the danger, but he didn't want to reveal too much. At the same time he didn't believe in lying to his child.
'This book is not for you. It is a diary that can influence the person who writes in it.'
'How?'
'That is not for you to know.' At Draco's disappointed look, Lucius added, 'when you are older I will explain.' This always seemed to placate Draco, but now he just huffed and walked away. Lucius sighed again and shook his head. Inquisitive boys: what a nightmare. He went to the desk and placed the book in a drawer, feeling a chill crawl up his spine at the thought of that book. He knew it was no ordinary diary. The Dark Lord had given it to him for safe-keeping, saying only that he could employ it at Hogwarts "if ever I need to return there, but am not able to in person." Lucius wasn't sure what that meant, but he knew it didn't mean anything good. He was perfectly aware of how terrifyingly mad and violent the Dark Lord had become before his disappearance. No matter what people thought of him, even Lucius Malfoy would never wish that creature on a school full of children, especially not with his son and his other charge there.
He put the book out of his mind and went back to work.
It wasn't until he was sitting down for dinner with the two boys that he remembered Draco's punishment was still to be decided. It was clear by Draco's subdued mood that the child was waiting for his sentence. He rarely misbehaved. The few antics he had been up to usually involved showing off for Harry, and Lucius had to berate him for doing something too dangerous for a child. This, however, needed some stricter discipline.
'Draco,' Lucius spoke during their dessert. 'I need you to understand that I have few rules, but the ones I do are for your protection.'
'Yes, Father. I know that,' Draco said softly, picking at his crème brulée. Harry glanced at him, but concentrated on his dessert.
'Yet you disobeyed me deliberately. I want you to write me a twenty inch essay on the nature of your infraction and why you must abide by my rules. I want you to include specifically what you thought you were going to accomplish and why you now know you must take the time to advance your knowledge systematically before you can read those books. I want it to be properly structured.'
'Twenty!' Draco cried, his spoon clanking against the bowl as he dropped it. Harry winced. 'That's longer than any essay I had to do at Hogwarts.'
'You'll no doubt experience longer essays there in the years to come,' Lucius said dismissively.
'But- but that's too long!'
'Perhaps it will make you realise the severity of your infraction.'
'It was only potion books,' Draco muttered stubbornly.
'You know very well that the contents of some of the books are not for your eyes,' Lucius scolded, his voice harsh now. Harry winced again and seemed to shrink in on himself. Draco looked more and more upset. 'Not to mention that the books themselves might be dangerous.'
'I wasn't going to brew any of the potions.'
'Draco!' Lucius thundered. His son looked up at him with wide eyes. Lucius very seldom raised his voice. 'You will write that essay and I sincerely hope you will change your attitude or I may be forced to deny you access to the library altogether!'
'Yes, Father, I'm sorry.' Draco sounded properly contrite now. Lucius sighed, trying to go back to his dessert, but not having any taste for it. He put his napkin on the table and rose.
'I have some work left.'
Lucius did in fact do a couple hours more of work, though his heart had not been in it, before he went upstairs to the boys' room. He wasn't sure when they would be too old for him to say goodnight to them, but he was at least going to check they went to bed at a reasonable hour. He found them both in their beds, though the torches were still lit.
'Time for bed,' Lucius said, extinguishing the torch close to Harry's bed. 'Goodnight, Harry.'
'Goodnight, Sir.' He went to Draco's bed and extinguished the torch there.
'Goodnight, Draco,' he said, wondering if he would get a response.
'Goodnight, Father... I'm sorry about earlier.' Lucius smiled and couldn't help but lean down and kiss Draco on his forehead.
'Apology accepted, but you're still doing the essay.'
'I know.'
'Good. You're a good boy, my son.' With that he left the boys to sleep, feeling confident Draco had learned his lesson and would stay away from dangerous books.
XXX
'What's that?' Harry asked. Draco was sitting on his bed and reading a book. It looked old... and empty.
'Nothing,' Draco lied. Harry could tell when he did easily.
'Oh,' Harry shrugged and went to his own bed. He sat down and took his own book from the bedside table. He waited, pretending to read.
'Get over here,' Draco huffed after a moment. Harry hid his grin and calmly put his book back before going back to Draco's bed, sitting cross-legged.
'I have finally decided on a payback for that Granger girl.'
'Payback for what?' Harry asked, confused.
'For everything!' Draco exclaimed. 'She's such a know-it-all. She's best in our year,' he grumbled. 'And she had the nerve to befriend you when you both know you should stay away from each other. She needs to be taken down a peg.'
'Draco, I don't want you to hurt her,' Harry said seriously. Draco rolled his eyes.
'I'm just going to give her a little book. She likes books, doesn't she?' he asked innocently. Harry's eyes narrowed at Draco's smirk. He reached forward to take the book, but Draco snatched it away from him. 'Hands off, Harry. This is for Granger. A present if you will.'
'What will it do to her?'
'You'll just have to wait and see.'
'Draco, no, don't do it,' Harry pleaded. He didn't like the look of the old book at all.
'I'll do whatever I want,' Draco declared.
'Please, don't-'
'Silence,' Draco proclaimed rather haughtily. Harry frowned at the book.
'Draco, if you do this ... just don't, ok? She's really nice and helped me loads with my homework.'
'She's a know-it-all mudblood and deserves whatever she gets,' Draco hissed. 'And you stay away from her.'
'But-'
'Do as I say, Harry,' Draco's tone broke no argument, and Harry sighed and fell silent. He went back to his bed and grabbed his book. He didn't look at Draco again for the rest of the evening, and so didn't see how Draco kept sending him piercing looks.
The rest of the summer passed far too quickly. Harry had managed to forget about the book and Draco's harsh orders, so when he was left alone for a moment on the Hogwarts Express, he didn't understand Draco's smug smirk when he came back.
'What are you so happy about?'
'You'll just have to wait and see, won't you?' It was said in the exact same tone as last time and Harry immediately knew what the blond was up to.
'Draco, no!'
'Hush, you,' Draco said dismissively. 'It's a diary not some hand-eating curse book.'
'A diary?'
'Yes, but I'm not telling you anything else about it.' With that Draco got up to find the sweet cart and left Harry alone with a sick feeling in his stomach.
