Disclaimer: Much as I'd like to, I don't own Draco Malfoy, or any part of the magical world that J.K. Rowling has all the copyrights to ... please don't sue me. There are some parts of this story that are quotes from the book - it can't be helped - events are the same as in the book, but Draco's opinion of these events may vary from Harry's.
Author's Notes: I needed to do some re-writing, after reading OotP. I have made some minor changes to this chapter, mostly spelling and grammar. Two minor story-line changes, as well, but nothing major. Wonder if any of you can spot the two changes.
dragonsprincess: Yep. Luna/Theo ... good pairing? Glad you liked the article. My cat has just learned to get up onto the table ... he's watching me typing, right now. Evil.
Caz Malfoy: It's the great RUBBER DUCK conspiracy ... rubber ducks, not just ducks ... I swear, rubber ducks truly are evil.
angelkas: Dairy milk is milk chocolate, yes. Theo's a little insane, but not totally insane ... like Draco said, he's on the same level as Luna, really. As for the rodents ... I would be able to do it ... ok, maybe I'm just cold, but then Draco in this fic is basically a male blonde version of me. And bubble and Ssqueak is a type of food - I'm told it's mashed potato with cabbage mixed through it.
duochang97: Glad you liked the scene with Luna - she's one of my favourite characters, and I had to write her in once I'd read OotP. The scene you're referring to, about the functon of a rubber duck, is only in the movie. I'm not sure if Draco will find out everything about Sirius. And Sirius was referred to near the end of OotP, as "the last of the Blacks", so Cat was technically illigitimate, and Sirius probably doesn't know about her. Yet. When I read the Black family tree, I had an internal debate about editing Cat out of the fic completely ... but was outvoted by my reviewers. Crookshanks likes Draco for the same reason he liked Sirius ... he can sense that Draco is a good person, in spite of the fact most humans can't.
In this chapter: bad news, misunderstandings, and a new pet for Draco.
Chapter 12 - Merry Bloody Christmas
I got home for the holidays, to find my father waiting in the hall for me, wearing an expression that told me it was bad news ... oh, he didn't look put out by it, but I had learned that that look means bad news for me. "What's the matter, Father?" I asked.
"I have bad news for you, Draco." yeah - I had worked that out already.
"What is it?" I asked in a slightly worried tone.
"Your pet snake is dead. It escaped and one of the larger owls caught it."
I stared at him for a moment, trying to force myself to believe it. I wasn't exactly attached to her, but I was still fairly shocked. Mostly because I hadn't realised owls would eat snakes.
Father watched my apparent lack of reaction, carefully, before turning and leaving.
"Merry bloody Christmas to you too." I muttered quietly, before trudging up the stairs to my room. My school trunk had arrived before me. I opened it and took out the small rat-cage, "Lucky you, huh, Squeak." I muttered, setting the cage on my bedside table. The black rat ignored me, preferring to scrabble at the corner of the cage. "You get to live a little longer." I tapped the side of the cage, smiling - I could see quite easily how one could kill for food - it made perfect sense to me - kill or die - but what didn't make sense was why anyone would want to wipe out an entire species for no reason other than disliking them ... the Dark Lord and those who believe in him - They kill for pleasure, for fun - that's not right.
I sighed, resigned to another Christmas at home with the lunatics it brings ... at least they haven't spent the last twelve years in Azkaban, though some of them probably should have.
* * *
I was awoken on Christmas morning by the scrabbling noise of the rat. "Merry Christmas, Squeak - you lived to see it after all." I watched the skittering rodent for a minute, "Like you'd notice, anyway." I noted. "Shut up or I'll feed you to Noctowl." I added, as the scrabbling persisted.
I dressed, checked my hair, and wandered slowly down to the Living Room, where my Christmas presents were always to be found, piled under the smallest Christmas tree in the Manor (not that that made much difference, it was only the smallest because this room had a lower ceiling). I sorted through them, shaking each one in turn, to see if it rattled (put into the probably-ornamental pile), rustled (put into the probably-clothing pile) or silent (opened immediately). I got several new sets of robes, and some other clothes, as well - yawn ... a load more cutesy things that female relatives on my mother's side seem to thing are adorable - double yawn ... three new books for my Dark Arts collection - now that was good ... and the last package, which had been sorted into probably-ornamental, and therefore left to the end, was anything but ornamental - it was an egg.
I examined it carefully - it was fairly small ... I was certain what it was, though - I had seen them in Knockturn Alley before ... a Runespoor egg.
I vaguely wondered if Serena's death had been completely accidental, but wasn't too worried. Squeak might not last to New Year, at this rate.
At this point, Father entered the room, "I see you've found your presents, Draco."
"Yes, Father." I replied, carefully setting the egg back into the soft packaging it had been in.
"It should hatch some time tonight." he noted.
I smiled, "Thank you."
"Well, you did read that book you took from my Library, did you not?"
"Yes. I did." I said, avoiding his gaze - I hadn't asked permission to take said book, let alone read it.
"I am impressed it let you read it. I never could." Did he just admit that I was able to do something he couldn't? I looked up at him, stunned. "If what I have read about Runespoors is true, this one should be highly intelligent - those born from the left head usually take after that personality, most."
I looked at the egg hopefully, "I should put it somewhere safe, like Serena's old cage, perhaps. Shouldn't I?"
Father nodded, carefully picking up the box and carrying it into the Drawing Room, where a new cage was set up. He set the egg into this cage and sealed it. "We should keep it in here - it would be easier to conceal it if need be."
I nodded, understanding that fully. It made sense that the Drawing Room is the best place to hide anything in this Manor. The secret compartment under the floor here has a trick door so that if anyone other than a Malfoy tried to open it, it would lead to an empty room (that's why I'm so unconcerned by the fact that I have reason to believe a Weasley knows about it).
* * *
That afternoon, the 'guests' started to arrive. Old friends of my father - each and every one of them has, at one point or another, been a follower of the Dark Lord. Although I was pleasantly surprised to see that Elric Nott had brought his evil offspring (Theodore) with him.
We listened to the conversations over Christmas dinner, with next to no interest, Theo stifling yawns the whole time.
"How can a gathering of evil-geniuses - the best Slytherin's alumni has to offer - be so mind-numbingly boring?" Theo muttered to me.
"Practice." I replied, without hesitation.
"Lucius." Walden Macnair said, conversationally, "Have you heard anything new about this Sirius Black situation?"
Now that got my attention. "Nothing that you don't already know, Walden." Father replied.
"Anyone ever actually met the man?" Elric asked coolly, "I mean, since the incident in his seventh year at Hogwarts. I am probably grateful I haven't heard from him since."
"Bloody Gryffindor git." Mark Avery muttered.
"Yes, that was the worst mess anyone has ever made of the Great Hall, in the whole history of Hogwarts." Father noted, "Of course, they couldn't expel him, since he had already graduated."
"He was never at any of the meetings, but then spies rarely were." Avery noted.
"He had me fooled." Macnair commented, "He was in the Aurors - high level, like Potter, Shacklebolt and Longbottom. No one would have thought he'd turn to us, even though he must already have."
"He had everyone fooled, Walden. That's the way a real spy works. Of course, you wouldn't know, since you never were that convincing to the Ministry - they had you in for questioning at least five times." Father said coldly, "Hacking people to pieces and leaving witnesses ... really - the trouble we had making the paperwork go away, after the witnesses' 'freak accidents'."
Macnair had the good sense not to push his point. I was surprised how openly they discussed these things in front of Theo and I - they must think we're old enough now to accept the gruesome details, while still eating dinner. Certainly, I didn't feel too nauseated - just repelled.
After dinner, Theo and I managed to stay out of the adults' way, most of the time, "Ever noticed how these parties always end in violence?" Theo asked casually.
"I usually make myself scarce by that point." I noted.
"Smart move." Theo replied, nodding towards the door and starting across the Ball Room floor. A minute later, I followed.
"Freedom ... relatively speaking." I whispered, leading him up the stairs.
"I've never been beyond the Ball Room and Dining Room, in this place." Theo noted.
"My room's on the second floor. I'll show you some of my Dark Art's collection - I got a new book on Elemental Curses, today."
"Better'n getting caught in the crossfire, downstairs." Theo noted, sounding enthusiastic, "Elemental Curses - is that like fire, ice, and lightening?"
"Yep."
"Cool." he said, as I turned into my room - he followed, obviously trying not to look too jealous on seeing it. "Lucky git ... this is all yours?"
"Mm hm ... and those are the new books." I added, pointing to the desk on which said books sat. He immediately grabbed the top book in this pile and stood there flicking slowly through it with great interest.
I wandered over to the wardrobe and checked my hair (it's a habit - so sue me - no, seriously, don't). "Any idea what they meant about Black?"
Theo shrugged, "Nope - he's an enigma, that one - total good-guy, everyone thought, white sheep of the family, as you well know - till he went and squealed."
"Why would anyone betray their best friend ... even if that friend was a Potter?" I asked, removing the itchy and too-frilly family dress robes I had been wearing to reveal the new shirt and trousers I had received that morning - I hate official dinner parties at this house - I always have to wear those stupid robes and they look ridiculous.
He shrugged again, "I wouldn't sell you out ... of course, that's not loyalty so much as you've got as much on me as I have on you, but a Gryffindor doesn't usually do that sort of thing."
I smirked, "Well, the longer they take to catch him, the less likely it is that they actually will." I wandered over to see which book he was looking at - 'Muggle Superstitions and How To Exploit Them'.
"That's not a good thing, though."
"No? Who cares, really? It's not like one lunatic can bring Him back, is it?"
"You'd be surprised." Theo muttered, turning a page in the book - the book didn't seem to like being opened to this page, and it leapt out of his hands, making him stumble forwards, just as I turned to face him - we both ended up on the floor.
"What the hell?"
"It didn't like me turning to page thirteen."
I looked up at him, exasperated, "Get off me." I said, simply.
"Huh?"
"You are lying on top of me - get off." I repeated.
"Oh - right." but before he could process the order, the door opened.
All three people in the room froze for a whole minute.
"Get. Off. My. Son." Father growled menacingly. Theo scrambled to his feet with unnatural speed - he was terrified.
I picked myself up slowly, not daring to take my eyes off my father.
He looked at me with disgust, "Get dressed, Draco." he said coldly. I was fairly stunned - I didn't know how to react to this situation. I was perfectly decent anyway, I'd thought (at least I was properly clothed, by any normal person's standards) - still, I grabbed the stupid dress robes and threw them on, hurriedly.
"Mr Malfoy." Theo said weakly, "That wasn't what it looked like."
"Silence." Father snarled, glaring at Theo - Theo had enough sense to shut up. "Both of you, follow me." Father said in what anyone else might mistake for a civil tone, but I had learned was really very, very dangerous. Silently, we did so. I was absolutely horrified by this situation - it had been an accident ... surely he didn't think...?
"This isn't happening." Theo muttered to himself.
"Yes it is." I replied in an emotionless voice.
Outside the door to the Ball Room, Father stopped and turned to us, "You - stay away from my son - go." he pointed to the door indicating Theo really ought to return to the party. Theo took the opportunity to get out of the line of fire, leaving me alone with my father.
"Father, I -" I started, but he interrupted me.
"What do you think you were doing?" he asked.
"I -"
But he wouldn't let me speak, "I had thought that you would still be a bit young for such things, but let me make it clear to you, now - I will not tolerate that sort of behaviour from you." he was glaring at me, trying to stare me down, "I suggest you find yourself a girlfriend." he finished, still glaring.
I refused to let him stare me down this time - I hadn't done anything wrong. "I -"
He gave me a warning look and held up his hand to effectively say 'no arguments'.
"Yes, Father." I muttered, finally turning away from his glare.
Having said that, he returned to the Ball Room, where I unfortunately had to follow - my father proceeded to pick a fight with Theo's father, while I went to stand a respectable distance away from Theo.
"Can you believe what he said to me? He said I should get myself a girlfriend ... I don't get it." I muttered, "First Tom Riddle, now my own Father thinks I'm gay ... I mean, do I LOOK gay?" I asked, in a low voice, so only Theo could hear me.
He looked at me in an evaluating way, "You mean you're not?"
I glared at him.
"Crabbe and Goyle will be disappointed." he joked.
"That is not funny." I replied coldly.
* * *
As the 'guests' were leaving, I snuck into the Drawing Room, to see the egg was rattling. I walked quickly over to it, standing over the cage, watching it intently.
There was movement in the doorway and Theo wandered over to me.
"Back off, Theo." I said, not even looking at him.
"Huh?" he asked, "You know nothing really happened back there."
"That's not the point - the point is that I don't want this creature to imprint on you - it'll think the first thing it sees is it's parent." and I shoved him away from the cage, turning back to watch the egg again.
Seconds later it hatched.
The three heads of the black-and-neon-orange serpent all looked up at me. The left-hand head then hissed at me - it sounded like it said 'Mother?' I think it just implied it thought I was female - for that I frowned.
The right-hand head then hissed furiously at the left - something to the effect of 'idiot - that human smells male, to me'.
The left replied 'still parent'. It then looked to me for an answer - I nodded. It turned back to the right and hissed 'see?' in what had to be a smug tone.
Carefully, I reached into the cage and let them sniff me properly - learn my scent properly - then I tentatively touched it at the point where the three heads meet - it seemed to like that.
After a moment, I then backed away, sealing the cage again.
'Where are you going?' the left hand head asked. I held up my hand to tell it to wait - writhing slightly irritably, it watched as I left. I was stopped by my father, who was glaring over my shoulder at Theo - Theo had been, and still was, watching the Runespoor intently.
"What is going on?" Father asked.
"I'm going to get something to feed to the Runespoor." I replied, sidestepping him. He watched me go, but didn't say anything further.
I ran up to my room, snatched the rat from the cage and returning to the Drawing Room as quickly as possible. When I got back, Theo was glaring at the floor, with two diagonal scratches on his cheek that suspiciously matched the fangs on the cane my father insists on carrying with him at all times.
Father watched me suspiciously, as I passed Theo, to get to the Runespoor, "what the hell happened to you?" I muttered.
"Nothing." Theo replied, not looking at me.
"Liar." I retorted, but at that moment, Father ordered him to leave, saying that Elric was leaving now and wanted to take his child with him. Theo jumped at the opportunity to get away.
I looked at the rat I was clutching, then at the serpent in the cage, and asked, "It's still too young to kill this by itself, isn't it?"
Father nodded, "Now might be an excellent opportunity to practice the curses I taught you, last summer." he suggested.
That was an idea - during the summer holidays, he had taught me to use the Unforgivable Curses, and I hadn't had a good chance to try out the killing curse, yet. I held the rat up by the tail and took out my wand, touching it to the rat, "Avada Kedavra." I said quietly, concentrating more on the magic behind the curse than the actual words. It worked - the rat fell limp in my hands - dead. Better than Bubble got - this rat didn't even see it coming.
I dropped the fresh meat into the cage and the three serpent-heads started a fight over which one would eat it.
I watched for a moment, before pointing my wand at the rat and casting a severing charm that cut it in three equal pieces, hissing at the snake. 'Share.' I hadn't been sure if I could speak any of it, but I tried, and surprisingly it sounded right. Still, I only had a limited vocabulary, along the lines of 'don't bite' and 'kill'.
All three of them looked up at me. 'Serpent Tongue?' the left asked surprised. I nodded slowly.
'You don't speak much, do you?' the right asked. I bit my lip, smirking - I shook my head.
'Why not?' the left asked.
I frowned, opening my mouth but realising that I had no idea how to answer that - I couldn't speak enough of their language to make sense if I tried, "I don't suppose you understand human language?" I muttered. It just looked at me quizzically - obviously not, then - I just sighed, shaking my head, and shrugged.
It seemed to accept this, and returned its attention to the rat.
I then turned to face my father, who was now standing a few feet away, watching with interest. "Are you going to name it?"
"Is it male or female?" I asked.
I'm not sure how he knew the answer without checking, but he replied instantly, "Female."
"I had an idea for names ... they need three separate names."
"Yes?" he asked, intrigued.
"Crucia, Imperia, and Avada." I replied, smirking.
His only visible reaction was to raise one eyebrow, "Why?"
"Well, for an illegal pet, they seem fitting ... and the middle head is always in a daze like an Imperius curse ... and the right-hand head has poisonous fangs ... it's logical." I replied coolly.
He nodded slightly, "I see your reasoning. Yes, that makes sense."
* * *
I spent the rest of the holiday getting to know my new pet, and was quite disappointed to leave her behind when I returned to school in the New Year.
* * *
End of chapter 12
Author's Notes: I needed to do some re-writing, after reading OotP. I have made some minor changes to this chapter, mostly spelling and grammar. Two minor story-line changes, as well, but nothing major. Wonder if any of you can spot the two changes.
dragonsprincess: Yep. Luna/Theo ... good pairing? Glad you liked the article. My cat has just learned to get up onto the table ... he's watching me typing, right now. Evil.
Caz Malfoy: It's the great RUBBER DUCK conspiracy ... rubber ducks, not just ducks ... I swear, rubber ducks truly are evil.
angelkas: Dairy milk is milk chocolate, yes. Theo's a little insane, but not totally insane ... like Draco said, he's on the same level as Luna, really. As for the rodents ... I would be able to do it ... ok, maybe I'm just cold, but then Draco in this fic is basically a male blonde version of me. And bubble and Ssqueak is a type of food - I'm told it's mashed potato with cabbage mixed through it.
duochang97: Glad you liked the scene with Luna - she's one of my favourite characters, and I had to write her in once I'd read OotP. The scene you're referring to, about the functon of a rubber duck, is only in the movie. I'm not sure if Draco will find out everything about Sirius. And Sirius was referred to near the end of OotP, as "the last of the Blacks", so Cat was technically illigitimate, and Sirius probably doesn't know about her. Yet. When I read the Black family tree, I had an internal debate about editing Cat out of the fic completely ... but was outvoted by my reviewers. Crookshanks likes Draco for the same reason he liked Sirius ... he can sense that Draco is a good person, in spite of the fact most humans can't.
In this chapter: bad news, misunderstandings, and a new pet for Draco.
Chapter 12 - Merry Bloody Christmas
I got home for the holidays, to find my father waiting in the hall for me, wearing an expression that told me it was bad news ... oh, he didn't look put out by it, but I had learned that that look means bad news for me. "What's the matter, Father?" I asked.
"I have bad news for you, Draco." yeah - I had worked that out already.
"What is it?" I asked in a slightly worried tone.
"Your pet snake is dead. It escaped and one of the larger owls caught it."
I stared at him for a moment, trying to force myself to believe it. I wasn't exactly attached to her, but I was still fairly shocked. Mostly because I hadn't realised owls would eat snakes.
Father watched my apparent lack of reaction, carefully, before turning and leaving.
"Merry bloody Christmas to you too." I muttered quietly, before trudging up the stairs to my room. My school trunk had arrived before me. I opened it and took out the small rat-cage, "Lucky you, huh, Squeak." I muttered, setting the cage on my bedside table. The black rat ignored me, preferring to scrabble at the corner of the cage. "You get to live a little longer." I tapped the side of the cage, smiling - I could see quite easily how one could kill for food - it made perfect sense to me - kill or die - but what didn't make sense was why anyone would want to wipe out an entire species for no reason other than disliking them ... the Dark Lord and those who believe in him - They kill for pleasure, for fun - that's not right.
I sighed, resigned to another Christmas at home with the lunatics it brings ... at least they haven't spent the last twelve years in Azkaban, though some of them probably should have.
* * *
I was awoken on Christmas morning by the scrabbling noise of the rat. "Merry Christmas, Squeak - you lived to see it after all." I watched the skittering rodent for a minute, "Like you'd notice, anyway." I noted. "Shut up or I'll feed you to Noctowl." I added, as the scrabbling persisted.
I dressed, checked my hair, and wandered slowly down to the Living Room, where my Christmas presents were always to be found, piled under the smallest Christmas tree in the Manor (not that that made much difference, it was only the smallest because this room had a lower ceiling). I sorted through them, shaking each one in turn, to see if it rattled (put into the probably-ornamental pile), rustled (put into the probably-clothing pile) or silent (opened immediately). I got several new sets of robes, and some other clothes, as well - yawn ... a load more cutesy things that female relatives on my mother's side seem to thing are adorable - double yawn ... three new books for my Dark Arts collection - now that was good ... and the last package, which had been sorted into probably-ornamental, and therefore left to the end, was anything but ornamental - it was an egg.
I examined it carefully - it was fairly small ... I was certain what it was, though - I had seen them in Knockturn Alley before ... a Runespoor egg.
I vaguely wondered if Serena's death had been completely accidental, but wasn't too worried. Squeak might not last to New Year, at this rate.
At this point, Father entered the room, "I see you've found your presents, Draco."
"Yes, Father." I replied, carefully setting the egg back into the soft packaging it had been in.
"It should hatch some time tonight." he noted.
I smiled, "Thank you."
"Well, you did read that book you took from my Library, did you not?"
"Yes. I did." I said, avoiding his gaze - I hadn't asked permission to take said book, let alone read it.
"I am impressed it let you read it. I never could." Did he just admit that I was able to do something he couldn't? I looked up at him, stunned. "If what I have read about Runespoors is true, this one should be highly intelligent - those born from the left head usually take after that personality, most."
I looked at the egg hopefully, "I should put it somewhere safe, like Serena's old cage, perhaps. Shouldn't I?"
Father nodded, carefully picking up the box and carrying it into the Drawing Room, where a new cage was set up. He set the egg into this cage and sealed it. "We should keep it in here - it would be easier to conceal it if need be."
I nodded, understanding that fully. It made sense that the Drawing Room is the best place to hide anything in this Manor. The secret compartment under the floor here has a trick door so that if anyone other than a Malfoy tried to open it, it would lead to an empty room (that's why I'm so unconcerned by the fact that I have reason to believe a Weasley knows about it).
* * *
That afternoon, the 'guests' started to arrive. Old friends of my father - each and every one of them has, at one point or another, been a follower of the Dark Lord. Although I was pleasantly surprised to see that Elric Nott had brought his evil offspring (Theodore) with him.
We listened to the conversations over Christmas dinner, with next to no interest, Theo stifling yawns the whole time.
"How can a gathering of evil-geniuses - the best Slytherin's alumni has to offer - be so mind-numbingly boring?" Theo muttered to me.
"Practice." I replied, without hesitation.
"Lucius." Walden Macnair said, conversationally, "Have you heard anything new about this Sirius Black situation?"
Now that got my attention. "Nothing that you don't already know, Walden." Father replied.
"Anyone ever actually met the man?" Elric asked coolly, "I mean, since the incident in his seventh year at Hogwarts. I am probably grateful I haven't heard from him since."
"Bloody Gryffindor git." Mark Avery muttered.
"Yes, that was the worst mess anyone has ever made of the Great Hall, in the whole history of Hogwarts." Father noted, "Of course, they couldn't expel him, since he had already graduated."
"He was never at any of the meetings, but then spies rarely were." Avery noted.
"He had me fooled." Macnair commented, "He was in the Aurors - high level, like Potter, Shacklebolt and Longbottom. No one would have thought he'd turn to us, even though he must already have."
"He had everyone fooled, Walden. That's the way a real spy works. Of course, you wouldn't know, since you never were that convincing to the Ministry - they had you in for questioning at least five times." Father said coldly, "Hacking people to pieces and leaving witnesses ... really - the trouble we had making the paperwork go away, after the witnesses' 'freak accidents'."
Macnair had the good sense not to push his point. I was surprised how openly they discussed these things in front of Theo and I - they must think we're old enough now to accept the gruesome details, while still eating dinner. Certainly, I didn't feel too nauseated - just repelled.
After dinner, Theo and I managed to stay out of the adults' way, most of the time, "Ever noticed how these parties always end in violence?" Theo asked casually.
"I usually make myself scarce by that point." I noted.
"Smart move." Theo replied, nodding towards the door and starting across the Ball Room floor. A minute later, I followed.
"Freedom ... relatively speaking." I whispered, leading him up the stairs.
"I've never been beyond the Ball Room and Dining Room, in this place." Theo noted.
"My room's on the second floor. I'll show you some of my Dark Art's collection - I got a new book on Elemental Curses, today."
"Better'n getting caught in the crossfire, downstairs." Theo noted, sounding enthusiastic, "Elemental Curses - is that like fire, ice, and lightening?"
"Yep."
"Cool." he said, as I turned into my room - he followed, obviously trying not to look too jealous on seeing it. "Lucky git ... this is all yours?"
"Mm hm ... and those are the new books." I added, pointing to the desk on which said books sat. He immediately grabbed the top book in this pile and stood there flicking slowly through it with great interest.
I wandered over to the wardrobe and checked my hair (it's a habit - so sue me - no, seriously, don't). "Any idea what they meant about Black?"
Theo shrugged, "Nope - he's an enigma, that one - total good-guy, everyone thought, white sheep of the family, as you well know - till he went and squealed."
"Why would anyone betray their best friend ... even if that friend was a Potter?" I asked, removing the itchy and too-frilly family dress robes I had been wearing to reveal the new shirt and trousers I had received that morning - I hate official dinner parties at this house - I always have to wear those stupid robes and they look ridiculous.
He shrugged again, "I wouldn't sell you out ... of course, that's not loyalty so much as you've got as much on me as I have on you, but a Gryffindor doesn't usually do that sort of thing."
I smirked, "Well, the longer they take to catch him, the less likely it is that they actually will." I wandered over to see which book he was looking at - 'Muggle Superstitions and How To Exploit Them'.
"That's not a good thing, though."
"No? Who cares, really? It's not like one lunatic can bring Him back, is it?"
"You'd be surprised." Theo muttered, turning a page in the book - the book didn't seem to like being opened to this page, and it leapt out of his hands, making him stumble forwards, just as I turned to face him - we both ended up on the floor.
"What the hell?"
"It didn't like me turning to page thirteen."
I looked up at him, exasperated, "Get off me." I said, simply.
"Huh?"
"You are lying on top of me - get off." I repeated.
"Oh - right." but before he could process the order, the door opened.
All three people in the room froze for a whole minute.
"Get. Off. My. Son." Father growled menacingly. Theo scrambled to his feet with unnatural speed - he was terrified.
I picked myself up slowly, not daring to take my eyes off my father.
He looked at me with disgust, "Get dressed, Draco." he said coldly. I was fairly stunned - I didn't know how to react to this situation. I was perfectly decent anyway, I'd thought (at least I was properly clothed, by any normal person's standards) - still, I grabbed the stupid dress robes and threw them on, hurriedly.
"Mr Malfoy." Theo said weakly, "That wasn't what it looked like."
"Silence." Father snarled, glaring at Theo - Theo had enough sense to shut up. "Both of you, follow me." Father said in what anyone else might mistake for a civil tone, but I had learned was really very, very dangerous. Silently, we did so. I was absolutely horrified by this situation - it had been an accident ... surely he didn't think...?
"This isn't happening." Theo muttered to himself.
"Yes it is." I replied in an emotionless voice.
Outside the door to the Ball Room, Father stopped and turned to us, "You - stay away from my son - go." he pointed to the door indicating Theo really ought to return to the party. Theo took the opportunity to get out of the line of fire, leaving me alone with my father.
"Father, I -" I started, but he interrupted me.
"What do you think you were doing?" he asked.
"I -"
But he wouldn't let me speak, "I had thought that you would still be a bit young for such things, but let me make it clear to you, now - I will not tolerate that sort of behaviour from you." he was glaring at me, trying to stare me down, "I suggest you find yourself a girlfriend." he finished, still glaring.
I refused to let him stare me down this time - I hadn't done anything wrong. "I -"
He gave me a warning look and held up his hand to effectively say 'no arguments'.
"Yes, Father." I muttered, finally turning away from his glare.
Having said that, he returned to the Ball Room, where I unfortunately had to follow - my father proceeded to pick a fight with Theo's father, while I went to stand a respectable distance away from Theo.
"Can you believe what he said to me? He said I should get myself a girlfriend ... I don't get it." I muttered, "First Tom Riddle, now my own Father thinks I'm gay ... I mean, do I LOOK gay?" I asked, in a low voice, so only Theo could hear me.
He looked at me in an evaluating way, "You mean you're not?"
I glared at him.
"Crabbe and Goyle will be disappointed." he joked.
"That is not funny." I replied coldly.
* * *
As the 'guests' were leaving, I snuck into the Drawing Room, to see the egg was rattling. I walked quickly over to it, standing over the cage, watching it intently.
There was movement in the doorway and Theo wandered over to me.
"Back off, Theo." I said, not even looking at him.
"Huh?" he asked, "You know nothing really happened back there."
"That's not the point - the point is that I don't want this creature to imprint on you - it'll think the first thing it sees is it's parent." and I shoved him away from the cage, turning back to watch the egg again.
Seconds later it hatched.
The three heads of the black-and-neon-orange serpent all looked up at me. The left-hand head then hissed at me - it sounded like it said 'Mother?' I think it just implied it thought I was female - for that I frowned.
The right-hand head then hissed furiously at the left - something to the effect of 'idiot - that human smells male, to me'.
The left replied 'still parent'. It then looked to me for an answer - I nodded. It turned back to the right and hissed 'see?' in what had to be a smug tone.
Carefully, I reached into the cage and let them sniff me properly - learn my scent properly - then I tentatively touched it at the point where the three heads meet - it seemed to like that.
After a moment, I then backed away, sealing the cage again.
'Where are you going?' the left hand head asked. I held up my hand to tell it to wait - writhing slightly irritably, it watched as I left. I was stopped by my father, who was glaring over my shoulder at Theo - Theo had been, and still was, watching the Runespoor intently.
"What is going on?" Father asked.
"I'm going to get something to feed to the Runespoor." I replied, sidestepping him. He watched me go, but didn't say anything further.
I ran up to my room, snatched the rat from the cage and returning to the Drawing Room as quickly as possible. When I got back, Theo was glaring at the floor, with two diagonal scratches on his cheek that suspiciously matched the fangs on the cane my father insists on carrying with him at all times.
Father watched me suspiciously, as I passed Theo, to get to the Runespoor, "what the hell happened to you?" I muttered.
"Nothing." Theo replied, not looking at me.
"Liar." I retorted, but at that moment, Father ordered him to leave, saying that Elric was leaving now and wanted to take his child with him. Theo jumped at the opportunity to get away.
I looked at the rat I was clutching, then at the serpent in the cage, and asked, "It's still too young to kill this by itself, isn't it?"
Father nodded, "Now might be an excellent opportunity to practice the curses I taught you, last summer." he suggested.
That was an idea - during the summer holidays, he had taught me to use the Unforgivable Curses, and I hadn't had a good chance to try out the killing curse, yet. I held the rat up by the tail and took out my wand, touching it to the rat, "Avada Kedavra." I said quietly, concentrating more on the magic behind the curse than the actual words. It worked - the rat fell limp in my hands - dead. Better than Bubble got - this rat didn't even see it coming.
I dropped the fresh meat into the cage and the three serpent-heads started a fight over which one would eat it.
I watched for a moment, before pointing my wand at the rat and casting a severing charm that cut it in three equal pieces, hissing at the snake. 'Share.' I hadn't been sure if I could speak any of it, but I tried, and surprisingly it sounded right. Still, I only had a limited vocabulary, along the lines of 'don't bite' and 'kill'.
All three of them looked up at me. 'Serpent Tongue?' the left asked surprised. I nodded slowly.
'You don't speak much, do you?' the right asked. I bit my lip, smirking - I shook my head.
'Why not?' the left asked.
I frowned, opening my mouth but realising that I had no idea how to answer that - I couldn't speak enough of their language to make sense if I tried, "I don't suppose you understand human language?" I muttered. It just looked at me quizzically - obviously not, then - I just sighed, shaking my head, and shrugged.
It seemed to accept this, and returned its attention to the rat.
I then turned to face my father, who was now standing a few feet away, watching with interest. "Are you going to name it?"
"Is it male or female?" I asked.
I'm not sure how he knew the answer without checking, but he replied instantly, "Female."
"I had an idea for names ... they need three separate names."
"Yes?" he asked, intrigued.
"Crucia, Imperia, and Avada." I replied, smirking.
His only visible reaction was to raise one eyebrow, "Why?"
"Well, for an illegal pet, they seem fitting ... and the middle head is always in a daze like an Imperius curse ... and the right-hand head has poisonous fangs ... it's logical." I replied coolly.
He nodded slightly, "I see your reasoning. Yes, that makes sense."
* * *
I spent the rest of the holiday getting to know my new pet, and was quite disappointed to leave her behind when I returned to school in the New Year.
* * *
End of chapter 12