Draco Malfoy and his Unknown Fate:
Author's Notes: Draco gets his revenge, heh. Feedback on what you think about it would be appreciated. Oh, and my use of the Glastonbury Tor was sort of off the cuff. I looked it up and there's quite a lot of myths surrounding it. It leads to Avalon, there's ghosts etc. What I thought was really interesting was that someone had seen a man in a black cloak walking near it, but when they followed him into a copse of trees he was gone. Apparition anyone? It was either the Tor or Stonehenge and the Tor won hands down after I saw that. If anyone actually lives near there or has been to it, drop me a line so I can pick your brain. ^_^
Warnings for this chapter: I dunno. Actual plot? Pay very, very close attention. You will be tested on this later! No, not really, but it does come up in later chapters.
Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. I'm merely borrowing them for the time being. This will be slash (eventually). Don't like it? Don't read it. Otherwise, enjoy.
Draco strode into the Great Hall and almost stumbled over a second year Hufflepuff while yawning into his hand. He glared at the offending culprit and was satisfied to see the youngster's face drain of color before she scampered off. The Slytherin prefect took his usual seat between Crabbe and Goyle and was gratified to see Pansy at the other end of the table. Her hair was a vivid shade of orange bordering on red; the color of Weasley hair some would say.
It was Draco's vengeance and a perfect one considering how much time and effort she spent on her normally dark locks. She'd been in hysterics the first morning she'd seen herself in her mirror and Draco had laughed his arse off at the priceless expression of humiliated rage on her face when she'd stalked into the Great Hall for lunch that afternoon. She'd skipped breakfast, either too cowardly to face her peers or too busy trying to fix it. She'd gone to her beloved Potions Master, but Snape had informed her that she would have to wait until the color faded before he could treat it or else it might react negatively with the unique dye used or did she want actually want a head full of pea green hair?
At any rate, that had been two days ago and the furor surrounding the prank had died down so that Draco's breakfast was a relatively quiet one. He exchanged brief greetings with Crabbe and Goyle, smirked at Zabini who was anxiously handing his girlfriend Tracey Davis (who had managed to ensnare the notorious Slytherin playboy) a platter of grapefruit. The other three boys snickered at him and Blaise glowered briefly before turning back to the pretty brunette with the big hazel eyes who had him wrapped around her little finger. Draco made a mental note to jump off the astronomy tower if he ever ended up like his counterpart before stabbing into his bacon with great appetite.
He managed to get two mouthfuls before his Daily Prophet was dropped into the middle of his plate. Grimacing, he fished it out and scraped the eggs off his newspaper with his fork. Bloody mail birds were a nuisance. Grindylow, on the other hand, had been trained to put objects at his elbow while generic delivery owls always managed to drop things in the most inconvenient places possible.
He scanned the paper quickly with a frown. "Hey, listen to this." He cleared his throat before reading the article aloud to his peers. It took a moment for everyone to focus on his voice, but soon enough the whole Slytherin table was listening to him and even a few Ravenclaws.
ATTACK ON THE TOR
The Glastonbury Tor, one of the oldest and most potent magical focal points in the world, was attacked and plundered yesterday evening. The Tor is the burial place of the most famous witches and wizards in history including Merlin, all four of the Hogwarts Founders, Nostradamus, and Cliodna as well as numerous other notable personages. The tombs of these great historical figures were ransacked thoroughly and most of the artifacts contained within stolen or destroyed.
The guardian of the ancient burial grounds, one Grant Hornby, was found dead at the scene. There is no obvious cause of death, though the Killing Curse is suspected. The Dark Mark was spotted floating above the scene for six hours after the attack. Several senior Obliviators were required to deal with various Muggles who had spotted the Mark.
Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, was most emphatic when he spoke of the incident. "This is a terrible tragedy for the culture of all Magical people. The culprits, once apprehended, will be prosecuted to the greatest extent of the law. The Ministry has put two teams of Aurors on the case and several Unspeakables are investigating the wards of the Tor as we speak. And let me state for the record, this is in no way, shape, or form, an indication that You Know Who has risen."
Not all agree with the Minister though. One of the numerous Ministry officials at odds with Fudge is Cian Cowgill. The Head of the Department of Magical Catastrophes made this statement. "We are coordinating our efforts with the Department of Magical Law enforcement in an effort to close this case as quickly as possible. We have one Muggle eyewitness who gave us descriptions of the perpetrators in great detail. Thanks to him, I wouldn't be surprised if we were making arrests within the week. It looks to be Death Eater activity. I'm not allowed to officially state that You Know Who is leading them, but I know this isn't the work of unorganized criminals. Read what you will between the lines."
The Curator of the Museum of Magical Artifacts, Elizabeth Fawcett, was brought on the scene to help repair various damaged artifacts. Many of the magical objects stolen may not be recovered, but according to Fawcett and her team of expert professionals the majority of the artifacts broken in the attack can be restored to their original condition. She is taking steps to repair the damage caused by the attack and states that the Glastonbury Tor will be back to its former glory by the end of the year.
Lucius Malfoy donated over three hundred galleons to the repair of the Tor upon hearing of the incident. His explanation was this. "This is a part of our heritage that we cannot afford to lose. No amount of money can replace the history we lost when the Glastonbury Tor was attacked, but I for one cannot stand by without participating in its restoration."
Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, made his own contribution of five hundred galleons.
Dumbledore, defeater of Grindelwald in 1945, said only this. "It's pivotal for witches and wizards everywhere to do what they can to help in these dark times. That's all I am - just one old wizard doing what he can." Several other smaller donations have been made as the magical community struggles to repair the damage inflicted upon it.
"Huh." Crabbe mused, his brow furrowed.
Draco shook his head, speechless at his father's temerity. No doubt Lucius had helped destroy it in the first place. "Bloody hell. I can't believe they robbed Merlin's grave." Everyone exchanged somber looks, even those with close connections to He Who Must Not Be Named. Killing off Muggles was one thing, but destroying such a vital part of the wizarding world's history? Even the most prejudiced of purebloods had to draw the line somewhere.
Draco scanned the rest of the paper, startled to find another article that caught his attention almost as completely as the first. It was in the society pages, stuck between an announcement of the wedding of Stephen Slug and Lydia Jigger and some debutante's party. Draco stared, unable to tear his gaze away from the announcement. Lucretia Malfoy had been born November 22 at 6 pounds and 12 ounces and was apparently a very healthy baby girl. Obviously Narcissa's pregnancy had been accelerated with dark magic and Lucius had to be spitting mad he hadn't managed to have a son. Still, that wasn't what shocked the Slytherin.
Draco had a little sister.
He folded his paper and started eating again, silently wishing the girl the best of luck. He hoped Lucretia managed the miraculous feat of a relatively normal childhood. It wasn't something many members of the Malfoy family had. He was still gob-smacked at the idea there was another Malfoy in the world, one almost exactly like him, but little and female.
Of course, Draco knew that surprises came in threes. He'd already had two; he only hoped the last one wasn't more than he could handle.
To be Continued
Comments and constructive criticism are more than welcome.