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37- Theme for a Jackal

Hermione and Harry were sitting in the waiting room yet again; waiting for their lovers who were now somewhere between visiting Narcissa and Lucius in the visiting room where they'd left them. Draco had, initially, wanted to be alone for his visit with his father, but Pansy hadn't budged on her stance to stay by his side for both reunions.

Their visit with Narcissa had gone as Hermione had expected, at least. The woman had been over-whelmed by the presence of Hermione and Harry, and after they'd given her their respects, and words of awkward encouragement, they'd gone back to the waiting room, leaving Draco and Pansy to speak with the stunned woman alone.

This had, however, given the Gryffindors plenty of time to talk…

"Did you see what she was wearing?" Hermione asked her boyfriend as they sat on two old chairs, far from the bubbly receptionists closed window, so as not to be heard.

"Yes," Harry said with a single nod, and a look of disgust on his face. The image of Narcissa looking as... let's just come and say disturbing… disturbing as she did would haunt Harry for forever.

"Do you think she's showered since the trial? She looked much better at the trial," Hermione mused, her mind replaying the short visit with prisoner.

"That was months ago!" Harry said, angry. "Like, four. And I'm pretty sure she hasn't. They at least haven't washed her clot… uh… rags?"

"That's ludicrous! We have to do something, Harry! We have to do something, though… Perhaps we could create some sort of petition, or band some people together and bring our complaints to Shacklebolt and Garne."

"Before we go off and form another S.P.E.W. or DA," Hermione lowered her lips at Harry's words, "let's think about this for a moment. Who in Merlin's green hell would join that group besides the four of us?"

"Neville and Luna would."

"Besides Neville and Luna."

"Seamus and Dean."

"Besides those two dafties?!"

"McGonagall."

"Hm…" Harry thought on his woman's single word for a few moments, before finally saying, "Ok. Let's take this to her first."

()()(*)()()

Draco and Pansy still sat, silent, in the visitation room, waiting for Lucius.

Seeing Narcissa had been harder on Draco than he had imagined. Seeing her dirty, malnourished, and sickly had caused him to go green around the gills, before that gave way into a burning rage so complete that he swore he felt his core temperature flare, and every limb burn white hot.

As a child, Draco had always imagined being a dragon, especially when he flew on his broom. Never had he ever wanted to be one more than that day, when he fantasized about himself burning the Ministry down to pile of ash for condemning his mother to such a life. His beautiful, perfect, loving mother who meant more to him than anything; and she was here, in a total shite hole, looking as if she hadn't seen water, or the light of day, in months.

To say the least, Draco's inner dragon was rearing its head, and threatening death by fire, which had only gotten worse some minutes after his mother left; once the second door in the corner of the room opened yet again, and his father entered.

Lucius seemed in much higher spirits than Narcissa. Not only was he smiling easily at Draco, but he seemed to have been eating well, perhaps consuming plenty of water, and he was not nearly as dirty as his wife had been. Instead of an unsteady, distant voice, his father spoke pleasantly as he said,

"Draco, my boy," the elder wizard walked to his son and embraced him, "It's wonderful to see you." Draco returned the hug, out of habit, and stepped back as he let the comparison of the welfare of his two parents. It was almost opposite ends of the spectrum. The only thing that could have altered Lucius' position would be his freedom. "And Pansy, dear. You look ravishing." Lucius moved to hug Pansy, who stiffened uncomfortably, she too noticing the immense difference between the Malfoys, and was happy when the elder man let go; her shudder possibly evident, though she wouldn't care if the wizard noticed.

For Pansy, seeing Narcissa had been heart-breaking; seeing Lucius brought her disgust, because she could only guess why he looked so well.

"You look well, father," Draco said as he sat back at the table, Pansy and Lucius taking his example.

"I've been doing well enough in here, I suppose. There's not much to do. We mostly sleep, read, or play chess… You look well, too, son. What have you been up to? What is happening beyond these walls?" His father seemed to relaxed, so care free, and Draco wanted to know why.

"I'm back at school-" Draco started,

"Splendid!" Lucius interrupted.

"- and we're going to finish this term so that we can get our Masteries in Potions. How is it"- Draco changed his tone- "that you look so well. You aren't allowed to be sent money here."

"What makes you ask?" Lucius asked, eyeing his son warily. Draco glared.

"Have you seen mum?" the young Malfoy asked.

"No… Have you visited her already?"

"Yes. And she looks like she's withering away, while you look like you're doing better than "well". Why haven't you been taking care of her, too?" Draco asked.

"Draco," Lucius said with stern voice, leaning forward over the table so that hot silver and cold silver could clash, "You don't know how it in here once they release you into the general population. You weren't here long enough to be allowed out of solitary confinement. Your mother has a target on her back, and I don't, and that's the difference between us, Draco. She betrayed the Dark Lord, and everyone in her wants her blood.

"If I speak to her, they'll kill me."

"So- let me get this straight." Draco said as he felt his heat spike yet again. "You mean to tell me that you didn't ensure the safety and wellbeing of your wife?! You- only looked after yourself?!"

"Draco!" Lucius cut him off, his voice sharp and angry. "You know you'd do the same! Every passing day, there are more and more inmates from our side being locked up. I had to"- Lucius paused- "I had to cut all ties with her."

For a moment, Draco said nothing as his father's words sunk in, and then he stood up quickly as he yelled, ""Us"?! "Our side"?! You fucking coward!" Lucius jumped a bit, and his son continued, "You fucking low-life, snake shite, fucking cunt!"

"How dare you-!"Lucius tried to interject, but Draco's voice was louder, and his wind was longer.

"You're letting my mother starve so that you can sit around, fat and happy, because you're afraid you will share her fate?! Well, guess what?! You married her, and you have to share to same fate, arsehole! I don't know why I thought giving you any of my time would be worth it! I should have never come, because you don't deserve my time or energy. I'm never visiting you again-"

"Draco!-"Lucius again, but, once again, Draco cut him off.

"No!" The young Malfoy yelled, and the guard started to open the door at the sound of raised voices, "I don't want to hear from you, and I don't want to talk to you! You're going to rot in here for the rest of your days with your "mates", and I am going to spend time with my new friends, Harry and Hermione." Lucius' eyes widened. "We all"- Draco motioned to the silent Pansy, as well as about to infer Harry and Hermione- "just went to see mum, because they are "our side" now, and we're going to get mum out of here, and leave you where you are." Draco finished to his father with loathing, "Come on Pansy."

Draco turned and left with his shocked-into-silence girlfriend, ignoring his father's cries of indignation, as well as the newly entered Auror, and made down the halls and to the lift back to the waiting room.

Harry and Hermione were still formulating a plan when Draco stormed through the door and up to the receptionist's window, knocking loudly on the wood rather than ringing the bell. The Gryffindors stood quickly at Draco's angered, speedy gait, and moved to him while asking him what had him so angry.

"I need to get out of here… before I do something I regret, and I'm not able to come back and see my mum." Draco answered them as they waited.

The Gryffindors looked to Pansy, who gave them a worrisome shake of her head. Throughout the entire interaction between Draco and Lucius, she'd been silent, and she was glad for it. If she had lost all of the restraint she'd practiced the past months, she would have strangled Lucius with his own hair. To think that she had thought the Malfoys had loved one another. Apparently, Lucius really didn't love anyone but himself.

In the green-tie witch's silence, the red-ties knew better than to say anything more as they waited for their wands. Once the bubbly receptionist opened the window, Draco said,

"I would like my wand back, please. I would also like to you to inform Governor Garne that I will be contacting him within the week."

"He'll be out for the next month on Christmas holiday," the now not-so-bubbly looking woman said with a frown at Draco's tone. Draco glared at her menacingly, before saying,

"Please tell him anyway."

The witch nodded, closed the window, and went to retrieve their wands. Once she'd returned them, she'd quickly closed and locked the door without a farewell, and the four students left Azkaban in an angry silence.

"She was completely standoff-ish just now… What are they hiding?" Hermione said when the stone wall had closed itself back up behind them, and they moved toward the disapparation point.

"They're hiding the fact that there's corruption in that hell hole." Draco sneered; noting himself falling back into the similar feelings of disdain he once felt for his Gryffindor lovers; though, this time, it was towards his own flesh and blood. "While my father sits around, soaking up benefits from taking up with the Death Eaters inside, he's leaving my mum to starve and die."

"What?!" The Gryffindor's shouted, shocked, in unison. They were both instantly angry at the thought of Lucius continuing his selfish acts, even after being severely punished for the prior ones already.

"Fucking- cunt!" Draco practically yelled as he came to stop in the area they'd arrived in; a flat, rocky, path near the edge of the cliffs.

"Draco," Harry said as he grabbed the blonde's arm, speaking loudly over the freezing cold blasts of air from the oceans rage. "Calm down, alright. Hermione and I were already talking about taking this all to Kingsley."

"I'm sure that bastard already knows what it's like in there, so what's the point of talking to that git?" Draco answered. The Gryffindors looked to one another, giving each other knowing looks, looks of agreeance to Draco's words, before Harry gave the blonde a quick kiss on the cheek, and said,

"Let's get back to the school. We can talk to McGonagall about how we can go about getting some things changed around here. Hermione and I will start a petition if we have to."

Draco looked up to Harry with a half-smile, knowing that the raven-haired man was worried about him; knowing that his lovers, with their bleeding bloody hearts, had already started working on a solution for him, because he meant that much to them.

"Alright. Let's do that," Draco said with a nod. "I also have a letter to write to a certain Governor."

(Theme for a Jackal)

All thoughts are in place
All deeds are complete
Play, theme for a jackal play