What Makes A Dragon?

By Kawaii Kitty

Chapter 2

Unexpected Surprises

After a few hours of uneasy silence, the carriage stopped. I could only assume we were home at last. My father allowed me to exit first to see the various servants we kept around the house standing in a very composed line outside of our house. Most of them were Squibs, people who came from magical families, but were homage to no magical properties. We felt they were easiest to have as servants, because they could not revolt against us. Standing in front of the group in a beautiful ivory dress cloak was my mother, Narcissa Malfoy.

As soon as I set foot on the cobblestone of the pathway to our manor, my mother came racing up to me. Before I could react, her arms were thrown around me in a tight hug.

"Draco! I'm so glad you're home! I missed you!" she smiled at me and kissed both of my cheeks, then my wide forehead. "Did you do well in school? How was your trip back?" she asked me in an excited frenzy.

I stiffened in her grip and then looked back to my father, who was looking at me expectantly, ready to retort if I had said the wrong thing. I swallowed, and then turned back to my mother, a wide smile on my face. "Everything was brilliant, Mum." I could feel the tension from my father lessen some.

My mother smiled and hugged me again. "Wonderful! Wonderful!" She let go of me and then walked to my father, hugging him as well. "How did things go at the Ministry, Lucius?"

My father shrugged. "Nothing particularly exciting, as far as I know. I won't be going in for a week or so. The council is taking a short leave."

My mother smiled happily. "That's wonderful, dear!" She smiled and hugged him again, then looked back at me. "Did you hear that, Draco? Your father will be home to help you with some of your homework!"

My blood ran to ice. 'Something tells me that that isn't going to be what he will be occupying his time with.' I nodded and gave another fake smile. "Fantastic! The things they have assigned for fourth/fifth year transition are really difficult."

I saw my father give a small grin. "Perfect. Then you'll be needing my assistance often, won't you?"

I stood straight and gave my father an emotionless expression. "I suppose."

My mother smiled and then let go of my father and placed my hand on my back, leading me inside. "Joelle, Lance, Cameron, get Draco's things from the carriage and bring them to his room at once." My mother called to three of our servants. A red-haired girl with a face adorned with freckles, a well-built blonde with shocking blue eyes, and a man in his middle ages ran toward the carriage, Joelle taking my owl, and the other two taking my trunk and walking toward the open doorway of our home that my mother was leading me to.

As we approached the large, light green manor with light green trimmings around the roof overhang and the various balconies of our house. Joelle, Lance, and Cameron entered before the three of us, running up to my chambers on the second floor. As we entered, the gentle clicking of our shoes against the hard surface of the marble beneath our feet began.

"So, Draco," my mother began as we stepped into the manor, "Have you found yourself a young lady yet?"

I thought for a moment. "Well… not really, Mum." I thought over my year at Hogwarts, and then gave her another smile. "Although, I did manage to take a girl to the Yule Ball. Pansy Parkinson, another fourth year."

My mother practically exploded with happiness. "That's so wonderful, Draco!" she looked to my father. "Did you hear that, Lucius? Draco has a girl he fancies!"

I felt my face flush a bit. "I don't really fancy her, Mum. I just took her to the dance. She didn't even dance. She just talked to her friends the whole time…"

The happiness on my mother's face diminished as soon as the words left my lips. I didn't like disappointing my mother, but I felt the truth had to be said in some sense. I couldn't lie to her about everything. I turned from my mother, putting my hands in the pockets of my cloak.

"Forgive me… I'm going to my chambers." I said softly, not thinking of looking back. The discussion of love and girlfriends was always difficult to sit through with my parents, my father especially. I walked back toward the stairs, walking up them and almost enjoying the feel of carpet beneath my feet, even though it was just a rug. I passed my parents above as they walked below, looking up at me. I could feel my father's cold stare focused on me. I didn't feel like being around him, not then, if ever. "Please… I just want to be left alone for a while." I said softly.

My mother spat syllables of protest at me, but my father silenced her, watching me go. I shook my head and placed my hand on the handle to my large chamber door. Opening it, I was welcomed by the familiar sight of my bedroom. Against the far left wall was a comfortable couch that I liked to sit on and think occasionally. It was pushed up against a tall window, which had a lovely view of the scenery around our manor. The wall on the far right had a large desk with a chair that I had picked out my first summer away from Hogwarts. The desk had a fair supply of eagle feather quills and several bottles of ink. Next to the desk were my school trunk and my owl's empty cage. I supposed one of the servants had let him fly when they brought him into the room. He was always fussy when kept confined for too long.

I looked to my large bed. It was a four-poster, not unlike the one I had at Hogwarts, but perhaps twice its size. The curtains around it were closed. Since it had been nine months since I last set my eyes on my bed, I couldn't remember if I shut it or not. I sighed softly and walked to it, taking the golden colored velvet cord into my thin pale hand and pulled it open. The sight that awaited me was that of a small girl with dangerously long black hair that fell over every curve of her body that it touched and finally fell onto my silk sheets.

"What the hell?!" I exclaimed at the sight of her.

She raised her head and opened her eyes. They were thin, and, from what I could see, they were a dark brown, slanted downward a bit. She had a perfect complexion, rivaling my own, and a very wide forehead, which no hair came in contact with. Seeing me, she gasped and sat up very rigid onto her knees, her head bowed.

"G….Gomen nasai, Malfoy-senpai…" she spoke. I hadn't a bloody idea what she was saying. "W-watashi wa…. Ano…" she continued. I shook my head, stumbling back in disbelief.

A girl was in my room… a foreign girl, no less. She was on my bed… looking very tired… How was I going to explain this to father?