Title – Songbird

Authoress – Phoenix Tears

Summary – The Dark Lord wishes to hear his dragon sing. 'Sing for me, my little dragon'.

Rating – R

Warning – Umm… Crucio and death.

Disclaimer – I own nothing, except for this plot. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Authoress' Note – I am a citizen of America, so pardon the spellings if they are not strictly United Kingdom type English… you know, with 'colour' or 'color'…

Feedback – Of course, as for every writer, questions, thoughts, and constructive criticism are all greatly appreciated. Thank you, and enjoy.

Such a pretty, charming little creature, you are.

All platinum and gold spun hair, wide silver-grey eyes filled with defiance and innocence, alabaster white skin of the palest marble, and red, glistening lips.

How beautifully you shall sing for me, Draco Malfoy.

They all fear me – Lord Voldemort, they whisper reverently. Well, almost all of them do. They are loyal followers – my proud, merciless Death Eaters.

There are exceptions – the fool Albus Dumbledore, the brat Harry Potter, and the traitor Severus Snape.

And then there is Lucius Malfoy.

Pretty, beautiful Lucius, with his steel exterior and icy gaze and insolent manner. I could not break him, no matter how many times I used Cruciatus, he would not scream.

He would sink down on his knees, clench his teeth, and thin his lovely red lips, and let no sound pass from them. I wondered how he did it – all of my Death Eaters would scream for me, but I am sure Lucius would have had the most beautiful song of them all.

Now that dear, sweet Draco is of age, I am sure he will have an exquisite voice as well.

Crucio. Sing for me, my little dragon. Come now, no need to be so stubborn, Draco. I am sure you have a beautiful, beautiful voice; nothing to be ashamed of.

He will not sing. He refuses to open his mouth and sing.

Stupid boy.

Even the Potter boy will sing for me; why will Draco not? Why will Lucius not?

I let my hand trail across his cheekbone and jaw line – they are like sculpted ivory of the palest hues – aristocratic, gently sloping, and perfect.

Such a pretty songbird.

I sweep into the hall, and they all bow down low, murmuring softly, my Lord. I motion for Lucius to stand up and take his seat at my right. After all, Lucius is and has always been my favourite.

With a wave of my hand, two guards bring in Draco. He is dressed in cloaks and robes of silk, fitting for his rank as Lucius' son and one of my favoured. His silver eyes flit up to meet his father's, and light up with some of their former sparkle, before dimming again.

Come now, Draco, will you grace us tonight with your lovely music?

I do not see a piano or violin anywhere, my lord.

As sarcastic and cutting as ever, I see.

Get in front of me, pretty one, where I can see you. Yes, good. Crucio.

This has become a nightly ritual: I summon Draco, he is put under Cruciatus, and we see how long it is before he faints from the pain and from withholding his screams. It is getting to near several hours now. No matter, I have all the time in the world.

However, after nine minutes, I stop it all. Draco looks up, startled. I smirk and motion for Lucius to kneel down on the floor next to his son.

Lucius does so.

Oh, how beautiful they look next to one another – father and son, Lucius and Draco. They are so, so lovely.

Avada Kedavra.

Lucius slumps over, his hair shining, golden as the sun, under the lights of the hall. Many of the Death Eaters shift uneasily, wondering what had come over me to kill my favourite pet.

I let my eyes trail leisurely over the hall, noticing that more than half of the Death Eaters present are, perhaps, more loyal to Lucius than they are to me.

Draco screams, sobbing, crying, clutching his father, shaking him fiercely.

The songbird has sung.

Authoress' Note: I felt weird when writing this… It came to me when I was writing up the last chapter of La Nuit. I've always thought the Malfoys to be stoic and cold, even in the presence of the Dark Lord – I hate how people make them out to be weak and cowardly. Yes, I know, even Harry Potter screams when under Crucio, but I like Draco and Lucius much more. So in this fic, they're better than him. xD