Maybe sucking his thumb was too childish for a five-year-old while sleeping in the complete and utter darkness was too rash for such a child, but both seemed to come easily and both seemed to happen. Not even the light from the harvest moon could penetrate the thick black velvet drapes that were slung over the vast window panes. Dreams didn't come easily to Draco Malfoy, they never really did. Sadly, what's to be expected if a child grows up with a vicious Death Eater father and a somewhat caring yet fully conceded mother? Luckily his mother had left the fire burning in the old stone fireplace of his desolate room bright enough for Draco to see his little hands wrap around his smooth sheets and push them down to the foot of his canopy bed. After giving the covers a small hefty kick with his feet, he pushed himself off of the mattress sending him to the floor. The frigid floor stones sent shivers up his legs as his feet hit the rough surface of the cobble stones. His feet pitter-pattered down the long hallway from his room and stopped at the lumbering door of the Malfoy's study.
Draco had never been inside, the door seemed menacing enough to the young boy, but he knew his father had more than just books hidden in there. He might have been only five, but even he had noticed that his father took all of his visitors in to that room and that, sometimes, less would come out. After inhaling deeply, his tiny boyish chest rising and slowly falling, he clutched his fingers together tightly to create a small fist and rapped his knuckles on the hard mahogany wood door four times before resting his now tired arm by his side. His watery little eyes grew wide at the progressing clicks of his father's heels as he closed in on the door. Soon the snap of a lock and the turn of a handle caused the door to slowly creak open allowing flame light to flood and illuminate the hall floor and walls. Draco immediately felt his fair pale skin succumb to the warmth of the inviting light, but a towering shadow covered him.
Lucius Malfoy clutched the tip of his serpent cane before driving the end of it into the ground as his eyes found rest on his youthful son standing in front of him. His lips twisted for a moment or so before pursing together eventually allowing him to speak.
"Yes Draco?" He questioned as he fixed his collar with his free hand.
"I can't sleep, the demons find me," the boy replied, innocent eyes searching the soulless eyes of his father.
A heavy frustrated sigh slipped between Lucius's lips as his shoulders dropped heavily and his eyes rolled over once.
"We go through this nearly every night, now go to sleep!" He ordered as he took hold of Draco's shoulders and pushed him towards his him. He turned swiftly on the heel of his boots and began to make a swipe for his cane when his retreat was halted.
"Sing me a lullaby, a song, please father?" Draco pleaded, he'd rather have his father there then the creatures of the night and the terrifying thought of being alone and that was saying something.
"Go ask your mother." Lucius demanded as he began to turn away once more and shut the door only to have a small tug on the bottom back of his robes.
"Mother is asleep, she won't wake til morning." He explained, his little voice becoming fainter at every word.
Draco never quite understood why every night he would go to his parents' room only to find his mother asleep with a bottle of wine here and there and a glass next to the bed where she lay asleep. She would then wake in the morning with a horrendous headache and horrid bad breath. When Draco would ask for breakfast, she would be too pained. When Draco would ask for lunch, she would be too busy and when he'd ask for dinner she would then be passed out yet again. It was a reoccurring cycle. Therefore he could not as his mother for a story or lullaby of any sort which left his father as his only alternative.
Lucius let out a large heave of frustration and threw his robes to the side as he swooped up his cane with a thwack! "Foolish, incommodious child!" He cursed as he took hold of Draco by the arm and squeezing it tightly. Draco would wake in the morning to find a bruise of some sort around that exact same area.
Draco couldn't exactly say if he felt happy or not that his father had given in to his request because he had never actually felt happy, but he knew that he didn't feel alone anymore. As they neared his room, he clutched tightly on to the hem of his father's robes and shoved his face in to the crevices of it. To his child-like imagination, he could see the horned demons dancing gaily along the stone walls of his room; he could feel the evil rising up from around him.
Lucius loosened his grip as tossed his son over towards his bed as he walked further in to the room. With an outstretched hand he called a wooden chair over to him as he stood next to the bed in which his son was climbing in to. He watched his livid eyes as his son now crawled beneath the covers that he had retrieved from the edge of the bed and rested his head on the pillow below.
"Now what did you want you little parasite?" Lucius retorted as he swung the chair around to face the bed and proceeded to take a seat.
"A lullaby." Was merely the reply that came from the slightly snuggled boy.
Lucius nearly scoffed, "A lullaby," he replied quietly to himself as he waved his cane once over with a slight smirk.
Draco's eyes lit up widely out of sheer surprise at fiery figures that appeared along the walls and glided around the entire room. Frightened cats, dancing demons, dreary dementors, snakes, rats and other demonic things went around in shadows of flames and lit up the entire room.
"I'll give you a lullaby my dear child," Lucius promised as he stood up and pushed the chair aside. He began to walk towards the door leaving Draco to huddle in a corner of his four post bed. He tilted his cane backwards and immediately stated "Crucio" with not even a glance back, he shut the door.
As he shut the door, Lucius leaned against the wood his ear pressed next to it, the screams of his tormented child filling the halls. "How is that for a lullaby?"
Draco had never been inside, the door seemed menacing enough to the young boy, but he knew his father had more than just books hidden in there. He might have been only five, but even he had noticed that his father took all of his visitors in to that room and that, sometimes, less would come out. After inhaling deeply, his tiny boyish chest rising and slowly falling, he clutched his fingers together tightly to create a small fist and rapped his knuckles on the hard mahogany wood door four times before resting his now tired arm by his side. His watery little eyes grew wide at the progressing clicks of his father's heels as he closed in on the door. Soon the snap of a lock and the turn of a handle caused the door to slowly creak open allowing flame light to flood and illuminate the hall floor and walls. Draco immediately felt his fair pale skin succumb to the warmth of the inviting light, but a towering shadow covered him.
Lucius Malfoy clutched the tip of his serpent cane before driving the end of it into the ground as his eyes found rest on his youthful son standing in front of him. His lips twisted for a moment or so before pursing together eventually allowing him to speak.
"Yes Draco?" He questioned as he fixed his collar with his free hand.
"I can't sleep, the demons find me," the boy replied, innocent eyes searching the soulless eyes of his father.
A heavy frustrated sigh slipped between Lucius's lips as his shoulders dropped heavily and his eyes rolled over once.
"We go through this nearly every night, now go to sleep!" He ordered as he took hold of Draco's shoulders and pushed him towards his him. He turned swiftly on the heel of his boots and began to make a swipe for his cane when his retreat was halted.
"Sing me a lullaby, a song, please father?" Draco pleaded, he'd rather have his father there then the creatures of the night and the terrifying thought of being alone and that was saying something.
"Go ask your mother." Lucius demanded as he began to turn away once more and shut the door only to have a small tug on the bottom back of his robes.
"Mother is asleep, she won't wake til morning." He explained, his little voice becoming fainter at every word.
Draco never quite understood why every night he would go to his parents' room only to find his mother asleep with a bottle of wine here and there and a glass next to the bed where she lay asleep. She would then wake in the morning with a horrendous headache and horrid bad breath. When Draco would ask for breakfast, she would be too pained. When Draco would ask for lunch, she would be too busy and when he'd ask for dinner she would then be passed out yet again. It was a reoccurring cycle. Therefore he could not as his mother for a story or lullaby of any sort which left his father as his only alternative.
Lucius let out a large heave of frustration and threw his robes to the side as he swooped up his cane with a thwack! "Foolish, incommodious child!" He cursed as he took hold of Draco by the arm and squeezing it tightly. Draco would wake in the morning to find a bruise of some sort around that exact same area.
Draco couldn't exactly say if he felt happy or not that his father had given in to his request because he had never actually felt happy, but he knew that he didn't feel alone anymore. As they neared his room, he clutched tightly on to the hem of his father's robes and shoved his face in to the crevices of it. To his child-like imagination, he could see the horned demons dancing gaily along the stone walls of his room; he could feel the evil rising up from around him.
Lucius loosened his grip as tossed his son over towards his bed as he walked further in to the room. With an outstretched hand he called a wooden chair over to him as he stood next to the bed in which his son was climbing in to. He watched his livid eyes as his son now crawled beneath the covers that he had retrieved from the edge of the bed and rested his head on the pillow below.
"Now what did you want you little parasite?" Lucius retorted as he swung the chair around to face the bed and proceeded to take a seat.
"A lullaby." Was merely the reply that came from the slightly snuggled boy.
Lucius nearly scoffed, "A lullaby," he replied quietly to himself as he waved his cane once over with a slight smirk.
Draco's eyes lit up widely out of sheer surprise at fiery figures that appeared along the walls and glided around the entire room. Frightened cats, dancing demons, dreary dementors, snakes, rats and other demonic things went around in shadows of flames and lit up the entire room.
"I'll give you a lullaby my dear child," Lucius promised as he stood up and pushed the chair aside. He began to walk towards the door leaving Draco to huddle in a corner of his four post bed. He tilted his cane backwards and immediately stated "Crucio" with not even a glance back, he shut the door.
As he shut the door, Lucius leaned against the wood his ear pressed next to it, the screams of his tormented child filling the halls. "How is that for a lullaby?"