Sorry I have not updated for so long. I have been through a lot this last two weeks. I have had exams for my finals, and I also met a boyfriend. We only got together two weeks ago, and I needed to spend all my time either revising or spending as much time with him as possible. Furthermore, in three days I am moving to Paris to start a job there, so it will be very difficult for me to see him. Being like my heroine Draconis, I find it hard to meet a man to match my standards, therefore this one is very special to me, and it has been an emotional fortnight for me.

Now I am back at my parents' house I am putting up my final installment of Draconis Malfoy's Story. It is very dark, and something unexpected happens, so have your tissues at the ready. As I will not have access to a computer in Paris I will be unable to read and review any of your stories, I am sorry for that.

By the way 'On the house' means that you get your drink for free.

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This was William Dickens' big chance, his first serious mission. For years he had been shadowing the great Auror Orion Wormwood, often accompanying him on minor jobs. But never had he been given responsibility on such a big case as this.

The Malfoys.

The very whisper of the name filled William with dread. Rumoured to be amongst You Know Who's strongest supporters, they had evaded conviction, until now. He and Orion were to lead the raid on Malfoy Manor, with the intent to capture its patriarch and bring him to justice. William was mortally afraid.

Once inside Malfoy Manor, William would have given anything to be back at home. The dark, freezing corridors exuded black magic and evil. The old place had am atmosphere, almost palpable, filling his heart with dread and despair. He couldn't begin to imagine what he might find there. Trained witches and wizards from the Army Against the Dark Arts were stealthily opening doors and peering into chambers. Everyone had their wands at the ready, their breath held in tense apprehension. William prayed that no one was in residence. Forget the promotion - if the Malfoys were here, he'd never get out alive.

Then all of a sudden the signal was made and William, Orion and a dozen wizards burst into the main living room. William saw the Malfoys, huddled together on the sofa. They looked shattered, as if the arrival of the Aurors had only made them more tired. Lucius Malfoy had aged considerably since William had last seen him. His face was gaunt and deathly, the cold grey light in his eyes extinguished. His daughter was emaciated, her white- blonde hair was greasy and hung in tangled clumps in front of her face. She was too weak even to lift her head from her Father's shoulder. William cleared his throat awkwardly and began to read his rights.

"Mr Lucius Malfoy, I am placing you under arrest on behalf of the Ministry of Magic -"

Lucius gently nudged the girl and they both struggled to their feet. Draconis clung to her Father's arm for dear life, her lips blue from the cold and sheer terror.

"- on suspicion of practicing the Dark Arts and collaborating with He Who Must Not Be Named. We will be escorting you to the Prison of Azkaban -"

He was interrupted by a hideous, bloodcurdling scream. Draconis Malfoy had thrown herself on the ground, and was clutching her Father's ankles.

"No, no, please - no, Father, oh please - no, no, please -"

She was writhing on the floor, shrieking incoherently, trying to reach her Father's hand, but her flailing arm missed by a mile. William and the other wizards were stunned into silence as Draconis, her eyes rolling, howled and screamed in the violent throes of insanity.

With a swish of his wrist, Lucius withdrew his wand.

"Avada Kedavra."

There was a flash of green light and everybody leapt backwards. The smoke cleared to reveal the dead body of Draconis Malfoy. Lucius had turned his wand on his daughter. Still keeping his eyes on him, William surreptitiously picked up the wand the Death Eater's wand that he had cast thoughtlessly on the ground. Slowly, arthritically Malfoy bent over and scooped the lifeless form in his arms and carried her over to the settee. Some young upstart behind William made a move forwards, but William held out an arm to stop him. Lucius closed the lids over his daughter's blank eyes and then kissed them. He kissed her forehead and smoothed her hair off her face. A single tear fell on Draconis' cheek, and rolled down into her hair.

"My little baby."

He turned round stiffly to face the Aurors, resigned to his fate. Orion lead the way, and the once powerful Lucius Malfoy, who had filled William with such ominous dread, painfully limped along after him, leaning heavily on his hollow cane. Instinctively William put out an arm to help him, but he angrily pushed him away. The Aurors watched with growing respect as the broken old man made his way angonisingly slowly down the corridors of his home for the last time, occasionally putting a hand on the wall to steady himself.

*

Orion Wormwood raked a shaking hand through his hair. "I need a stiff drink. William - fancy coming down the 'Three Broomsticks'?"

William didn't want to be alone so soon after that harrowing experience, so he accepted.

Five minutes later William and his boss were ensconced in a dark corner of the wizarding pub, each clutching a large whiskey provided on the house by Madam Rosemerta.

"My nephew was at Hogwarts with young Miss Malfoy," William volunteered. "He was in Ravenclaw and was a couple of years above so he didn't really know her, but he said she was a right little madam."

Orion sighed. "That she was. But she was beautiful. Not pretty, like most blondes, but captivating, alluring. She had her Father's looks.

I used to see her at society dinners with her Father. She was never far from his side. She and her acolytes would immediately annexe the top table - it was like a magnet for the young men. However Draconis. she was having none of it. The look on her face, dear boy - like something had gone off under her nose. She'd draw them all in with the hot looks she would give them, she'd let her hair fall over her shoulders, show a flash of leg - they were practically on their knees before her. But she'd treat them with contempt, as if they were pieces of dirt. That was her game: entice them one by one, then throughout the course of the evening dispose of the cruelly, to the cackling delight of her cronies, and the vicious pride of her Father."

Orion drained his glass and resumed his speech. "But the last couple of times, there was something wrong with Draconis Malfoy. She looked drawn and ill. No longer the great beauty who reigned supreme from her throne at the top table. Her hair was lank and you could see her shoulder blades jutting out under her dress. It was sickening. Most of the time she walked round clutching her Father's elbow, afraid to let him go. The Malfoys haven't turned up to any of the formal meals and dances this year, and the last time they left halfway through. I saw them through the window, getting in a carriage. I saw Draconis collapse into her Father's arms. Malfoy bundled her into the cab then he leaned on the side for a moment, as if he were about to fall."

"I dunno," William stammered "maybe it was her Father's old age. and the stress of the inquisition after Voldemort's death. but that poor girl, tonight, oh God!" He buried his head in his hands, shaken to the core.

"Maybe it was for the best, William," the older man said wisely. "The girl was deeply unhappy. Lucius Malfoy was once a very strong man, certainly the strongest and most powerful male influence in his daughter's life. Of course none of the lads at the dinners or the School could possibly measure up - there was no one to equal the Malfoy dynasty. Her Father's love was what created her and also what destroyed her. He was the rock in her life, the strength she clung on to. I really think it would have been impossible for Draconis to live without her Father. And Lucius himself must have known that. It may not make much sense to you at the moment, William, but I think Death was the only way out for Draconis Malfoy, and it was fitting that her own beloved Father should be the one to show her that mercy.