Disclaimer: All characters belong to JKR.

Chapter Three: Rhapsody in Black

Dinner at Malfoy Manor was an elaborate affair, but then, so was everything else at Malfoy Manor. Dressed impeccably in a silk-grey suit that complemented his fathomless silver eyes and silvery white hair (for even love could not prevent him from indulging in his fondness for fine clothes), Draco joined his mother and father at the dinner table.

Dinner went as usual and Draco's façade was apparently a successful one.

The key word in that sentence is "was."

Draco's façade was successful only before his father began drinking. When Lucius Malfoy began to drink, he began to recount his recent Dark exploits for the benefit of his adoring wife and son. When Lucius Malfoy recounted his recent exploits, he happened to touch upon his unsuccessful task in the Department of Mysteries. When he mentioned the task in the Department of Mysteries, he expressed regret at his failed mission. When he expressed regret at his failed mission, he blamed those who had prevented its realization. When he did this, he mentioned his attempt to destroy Harry Potter and his foolish Gryffindor comrades.  Ginny Weasley was one of those foolish Gryffindor comrades.

Draco was enraged. Of course he had known that his father was one of the Death Eaters involved in the Department of Mysteries incident. And of course he had known that Ginny Weasley was among the Gryffindors who ventured there (this had been the subject of one of his raptures on Ginny). Blinded by love, Draco had not put two and two together. Or if he did, he decided that the answer was not four, but "Ginny!" as all questions seemed to ask for a euphoric affirmation of his love for her. Logic was not Draco's strong suite—at least, not when he was in love with Ginny.

He made a valiant attempt at control, an attempt which went rather well as his parents noticed no more than a slight reddening of his cheeks (which could be attributed to an embarrassment at his father's failure) and a brief flash of fire in his eyes (which could be attributed to anger against Gryffindors in general).

It was when his father mentioned his initiation into the Death Eaters that he finally cracked. Lucius Malfoy had been planning his son's initiation since the moment he learned Narcissa was pregnant. Finally, a son to follow in his dark footsteps, someone he could play Quidditch with and teach Unforgivable Curses to alternately. Someone that the Dark Lord would praise him for, while clapping him on the back with a withered hand and saying, "Fine boy you have there, Lucius."

Draco's response ("but Daddy, I don't think I want to be a Death Eater anymore. Couldn't I just be a teacher like Mummy?") was most unexpected and most unwelcome. Visions of Draco passing out plastic cups filled with grapefruit juice and generic cookies filled Lucius's head, and he rose to his feet in fury. Muttering Dark curses at him as he carried him down the dark corridors by the scruff of his neck, Lucius reached the infamous Malfoy torture chambers (where a record 842 Muggles had breathed their last) and mercilessly threw his son in, despite Draco's cries of, "Teachers prepare the youth of today for the burdens of tomorrow!" and "Teachers don't just teach—they help others to reach!"

"And you make me retch," Lucius replied angrily. "Honestly…"

Sitting in the dark, dank dungeon where a record number of Muggles had been killed did nothing to help Draco's spirits. In vain, he tried to conjure up a sweet image of Ginny, but to no avail. Draco whispered her name in the darkness of his dungeon, but the whispers faded away, leaving him with nothing but silence.

Angst was his only solace, and he indulged in it while cursing the Fates that had not only placed him with an evil, murderous demon, but an evil, potential-Ginny-murdering demon.

The Fates were not unaccustomed to being cursed by a Malfoy (after all, the Malfoys did little else), but, in this instance, took pity on Draco's despairing heart. They could only tolerate a certain amount of angst, and Draco had exceeded his limit, his father's limit, and his mother's limit, for the next twenty years.

This annoyed them. So they decided to do something about it.

A/N: Read and review, please. Next (and last) chapter: Ginny makes an appearance.