I own the wall in China, the Moulin Rouge in France,
I purchased "The Game of Life" and copyrighted "Dance"
I bought out Ralph Lauren, and now own Calvin Kelin,
All this I own and I alone, yet Harry is not mine
Author's Note: I hope this is long enough to satisfy you guys. I will try to write the next chapter either today or tomorrow, but I can't make any promises. Have a Happy Easter everyone! I hope this explains Draco's change of heart.
Chapter Five: This Boy's Life
"My family has not always been what you would describe as...happy," Draco started, casually glancing at Jim. "Someone was always fighting, always criticizing, usually my father.
But I had no one else to go to. No other family members wanted to help us out. They knew what
was going on. That my father was..." Draco's voice trailed off. He looked at Jim.
"I still remember the first time he did it. I was ten, and my mother was baking in the
kitchen. She had given all of the house-elves the day off, thinking my father wouldn't be home to
see. He had been away for a few weeks, and we hadn't been expecting him back any time soon.
"Anyway, I wanted to try and help, so I tried to reach for the bowl that had all of the
batter in it..." Draco paused. "It tipped and shattered, spilling all over the floor. I was so
scared," he smiled. "But my mother was fine with it. She laughed and said there was so use crying
over spilled batter, so the two of us began to clean it up. That was when my father walked in."
Draco shivered. "I'll never forget the look he had in his eyes when he walked in and saw
both of us on the floor laughing. His eyes turned this... deep grey, clouding over yet flashing
with anger. He grabbed my mother by the arm and pulled her up harshly, demanding who made the
mess."
He sighed. "My mother said that she did it. He raised his hand to hit her just as I... I
said that I did it. Then he looked at me with... with such hatred. He came over with his cane
and...he hit me."
Draco swallowed, looking out the window, trying to regain his composure. "I had never
been hit by anyone before, not even my father. Then he shouted for the house elves...My mother
told him that they were gone... that she had given them the day off... and he beat her."
Draco sighed, his voice shaking. "He beat her with that cursed cane of his that he
carries around with him. I have never seen anybody so bruised and battered... she couldn't even
stand up after the assault."
He turned to the window. "I promised myself that I would stay out of his way. I wouldn't
give him a reason to hit me again. The easiest way for me to stay away from the abuse was to
follow the one who gave it... So I began to follow my father's wishes. Every opportunity I had I
would show him how I could be just as bad as he could be. I began to confuse bad with proper
behaviour. That was when I started attending Hogwarts..."
Draco smiled faintly at Jim. "Harry Potter just happened to be one of the people I chose
to take my anger out on. Him and two others. Ron Wesley and Hermione Granger." Draco laughed to
himself, not noticing Jim's sudden undivided attention. "They'd probably be surprised that I know
their real names. I was horrible to them though. I used to call them names, all of the time. I
used to make fun of Weasley because his family wasn't the richest, and that he would get
hand-me-downs. My father was the one who taught me that. That you should discourage those below
you in money and power."
Draco smiled to himself. "Granger was a different story. She had family and friends, but
she didn't come from a family of witches. She was what my family referred to as
a...mudblood," he said, stumbling on the last word. He shivered. "I used to call her that.
I can't believe now how cruel I was. My father was the one who told me that they should be
disposed of. That they didn't deserve to exist in the wizarding world." He smiled softly. "But
you know what? Hermione was the smartest of us all. She could whip all of us, plus maybe even
some of the seniors." He laughed. "She had guts. Always sticking out for Potter and Weasley, that
was her job."
"Potter was the one I hated most. The only reason I hated him was because he was against
my father and his master. Potter was brave, a little stupid, but he had some smarts to him. This
past summer, I found out a few things... like that he never knew his parents, but he didn't like
the people he was staying with. He hated them about as much as I hated my father."
Draco sighed. "It wasn't a happy life, but it seemed to be working for the time being. My
father would take his anger out on me, I would grin and bear it to prevent injury, then I would
turn around and take my anger out on the trio," he explained, Jim's face seeming to understand.
"That all changed this past summer..."
-----------------
"Son, come into my office for a moment," Lucius commanded his son.
Draco nodded, forcing back a groan. He entered the office, noticing the absence of
"please" in his father's command. He sat down in the deep red chair that sat opposite the desk,
the room severely lacking any natural sunlight.
His father sat down at the desk, facing his son. "The Dark Lord has been in contact with
me, and requests that I bring you to him so that you may begin your training to become a Death
Eater," he said, almost with what Draco thought to be a smile. "What do you have to say?"
Draco sat there in thought for a moment. He knew that this time was going to come
eventually. All of the following, all of the anger, all of the abuse...it had to stop.
It was going to stop now.
"No thank you."
Lucius looked slightly started, then calmed instantly, thinking he might have heard
wrong. "What did you say?"
Draco took a deep breath. "I said NO-THANK-YOU."
The next thing Draco knew he was on the floor holding the back of his head with his
father standing over him, his fallen chair thrown to the side.
"No son of mine will ever disobey my orders!" he shouted, taking a swing at his son.
Draco barely had time to roll out of the way, the handle catching him in the shoulder blade.
Draco gasped in pain, holding his shoulder and tried to stand up. The force came down
again, clear across his back. A feeling of fire swept up Draco's spine as the cane came down
again and again.
Draco's body was numb with pain as he lay there on his back, a bitter taste of blood in
his mouth. His father stood over him, breathing heavily.
"Now what do you say? Will you become a Death Eater now?" he demanded, twisting the cane
in his hand.
All Draco could feel was the pain and his inability to move. He lifted his head slightly,
watching his father tap the cane against his leg. He tried to find his voice.
"No."
His father grasped the cane, lifting it to strike him again. Draco shut his eyes, waiting
for the impact, but it never came. He gently opened his eyes to his father, now with a wide grin
across his face.
Lucius chuckled. "You do not want to join me? Why? Have you been made to believe that you
can exist outside of the Dark Realm of the Dark Lord? That you can be truly happy? Who taught you
to disobey me? Who taught you? WHO TAUGHT YOU?"
"YOU DID!" Draco shouted, his breath becoming shallow after.
Lucius stared hard at his son and smiled again. Draco felt a chill go down his spine.
"No, I did not teach you. But I know who did," Lucius said as he left the room, his cape
sweeping behind him.
Draco breathed a momentary sigh of relief that his father had left, until he heard the
screams of his mother.
Draco's blood froze as he listened to his mother being beaten downstairs. Finding
strength, he rolled over onto his stomach, ignoring the stars in his eyes and the pounding in his
head. He stood, leaning against the oak desk, and forced himself towards the door. He stumbled
down the stairs, all of the house-elves standing in the foyer, terrified.
Draco heard his mother's screams get louder as he entered the kitchen. His mother was in
the corner, having collapsed into a pile, now screaming. Lucius stood over her, cane in hand,
hitting her and shouting.
"WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO? ARE YOU TRYING TO RUIN HIM? YOU ARE A WICKED WOMAN! ARE YOU
TRYING TO DESTROY HIM? ANSWER ME!!!" he shouted as the cane came down again.
Draco's anger built inside of him as he saw red. Without hesitation, he grabbed his
father's cane as he raised his hand again. His father spun around, an expression of shock on his
face.
Draco pointed the cane at him, holding his ribs with his left hand. He watched his
mother, hoping for some kind of movement to indicate that she was still alive. She gently lifted
her head, her eyes red, her forehead bleeding. Draco gritted his teeth. He stared at his father.
"Don't you ever, EVER, touch her again. I have never wanted to be a part of your scam.
Just so you could show me off because the Voldemort holds you in his highest honour," he
said, his father's reaction faltering at the true name of his master. "I want you to go back to
Voldemort, and tell him I'm through. I'm not going to be part of this anymore. And if you touch
my mother again... I'll kill you."
Lucius suddenly smiled at Draco, and Draco felt his confidence falter slightly. His
father took a few steps towards him as Draco tensed up, hoping that he wouldn't have to swing at
him again. Lucius placed a hand on the cane and tugged it gently, Draco releasing the handle.
Lucius walked past Draco, but before Draco had a chance to take a step forward to see his mother,
he felt the cane come down across the back of his head, throwing him into darkness.
-----------------
"I woke up in my room with a cloth on my head and one of the house elves standing over me
to make sure that I would wake up," Draco said. "My mother sank into unconsciousness soon after I
did, and remained that way for three days. My father was home at times during the summer, but I
was out." Draco looked out the window. "My father caught me off guard and took advantage of the
fact that he was stronger than me. So this summer, I dedicated my time to working out. That was
when I met Charlie. He helped me challenge myself, and was a great friend. That's why I know
so many movies. He let me stay with him a lot. He was the one who convinced me that I would have
to be doing this for nobody but myself. Not my mother, not for the good of mankind, but for me. I
knew that I'd have to do it without the use of magic, to build up enough strength so that the
next time my father and I met, we would be on an equal playing field. Mono à mono," he paused,
smiling and turning to Jim, "that's the way John Wayne would have done it."
Jim smiled faintly and nodded. "I'm so sorry Draco. I never knew..."
Draco looked at her puzzled. "Well that's understandable. We've only known each other for
about an hour," he said, smiling.
Jim grinned and nodded. "And what an hour it has been."
Draco smiled, running a hand through his hair. "So what's your story? Remember the deal.
It's your turn now."
Jim shrugged. "Well, there's really not much."
Draco smiled. "Come on, try me."
Jim nodded and was about to start when the compartment door slid open.
*****
Author's Note: I hated so much to do that to you! I am so sorry! Anyway, here is another poem for you guys!
Life is a funny thing
Sometimes you laugh and sing
Both of which is what I'll do
If you would only please review!!!
Ah ha ha! Yet again I am desperate! Please Please Please review. 30 seconds is all it takes.
To My Reviewers:
AlexaDonaghy: You know, I'm gonna start getting concerned when you stop reviewing my stuff! I'll be looking at my reviews and if yours isn't there, I will become traumatized and refuse to write until you do review. Anyway, this chapter explains the change in Draco (at least, I hope it does!). Thanks again for reviewing!
sleepy-kitty: Maybe it is her, maybe it isn't... you'll see in the next chapter, I promise (if I can manage to get it written!). You weren't the only one who asked that, so don't worry! Thanks much for reviewing!
fReD AnD GEoRGe WeASleY Are gOdS: HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER! I try to update as soon as I can, because I know how annoying it is to wait for an update. Especially for those stories that were written in 2001 that were never finished. Anyway, Jim might be her, but you'll have to wait until I update! I promise it won't be long! Thanks for the review!
Dreaming One: If it is her, and I'm not saying for sure that it is, there would be a reason as to why he can't recognize her... but that's all I'm saying. I'm not saying another word... by the way everything will become clear in the next chapter! But I'm not saying a word... Thanks for reviewing!
Girl-named-Belle: More fun lines will be coming in a later chapter, I promise! Now is the time when I have to get serious and try to make sense of everything I've written so far. I promise this story will be pretty funny (or at least funny to me). Thanks for reviewing!
sarah: You're right of course, the chapters do need to be longer, but I find that when I write them really long, they seem to drag on for me to re-read. At least if I give them in small parts, there will be more of them of course, but they don't become a chore to read. I'll try to make them longer though. This one is think is the longest I've ever written! Thanks for reviewing!
Lily of the Shadow: Here is my update, just for you... and all of my other reviewers! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! I hope that keeps up (though with my luck, you never know...)! Thanks for reviewing!