Chapter Three: You're Going to America
A still wet and shivering Draco sat at the heavy wooden table in the Garron's kitchen. Everything was silent and he dared not look up at the people who were currently staring at him, but instead kept his eyes trained on the table's surface.
Fudge was seated in a chair opposite him and Mrs. Garron at the head of the table. Mr. Garron stood next to Fudge, glaring hatefully at Draco, and the auror who had drug him back to the house stood guarding the door.
There was a heavy silence within the room which made Draco shift uncomfortably in his chair and keep his eyes down.
"Well, I guess I would be lying if I said that I hadn't expected something like this from you." Fudge said finally with a heavy sigh.
Draco looked up tentatively; he wasn't quite sure how to take the Minister's comment.
"Um, sir?"
"Yes?"
"Are you going to send me to Azkaban?" Draco feared what the Minister's answer was going to be. He could take being shut up in a small, filthy, stuffy room, but Azkaban...it was a whole other thing entirely.
"No, of course not." The Minister chuckled. "We don't send children to Azkaban for running off."
Draco's heart skipped a beat, but then he remembered his grim reality as Mr. Garron spoke.
"If you ask me, Minister, the boy should get a taste of Azkaban. He's nothing but trouble and with the awful upbringing he's had he'll no doubt follow in his parents' footsteps and join the Death Eaters himself as soon as he gets a chance. Ungrateful little gutter snipe."
Draco glared at Mr. Garron.
"I do agree, Mr. Garron. Sometimes a good shock is needed in order to deter a youth from going down the wrong path."
Draco's stomach flipped and he looked nervously at Fudge. The Minister saw the scared look on Draco's face and immediately continued.
"But, being that other arrangements have been made concerning young Mr. Malfoy, we shall have to forego the 'shock treatment' for now."
Mr. Garron's face fell considerably in disappointment.
"Sir, what other arrangements are those?" Draco asked.
"We've found, hopefully, a permanent place for you. We've contacted an aunt of yours and she and her husband are willing to take custody of you."
"What aunt?" Draco asked confused.
"Your aunt Emma of course."
"Aunt Emma?" Draco said, now thoroughly confused. "I don't have an aunt..." Realization dawned on him. "I can't stay with her!"
Emma was a name that was never mentioned within Draco's family. Several years ago, when he had been seven, Draco had come across an old photograph while curiously snooping through his mother's desk. In the picture were two young girls; one who looked very much like his mother. He had never seen a picture of his mother as a child before and had taken the photograph to ask her who was the other girl. At first she had practically ripped the picture out of his hand and had scolded him for going through her things, but after a few curious and persistent questions, Narcissa told him who the girl was.
The girl was his mother's not-identical twin sister Emma. Not only did the two twin girls look different, but their personalities were quite different as well. Narcissa had been the quiet one who always followed the rules, whereas Emma had been a touch rebellious.
Narcissa and Emma's father had been rather strict in raising his daughters; not unlike Lucius. Under no circumstances were the girls to bring in any Muggle object or associate with Muggles. Emma, however, had always found the Muggle world to be fascinating and would sneak in a Muggle object or two; each time swearing Narcissa to secrecy. When it had come time for the two girls to attend Hogwarts, Emma's rebelliousness grew. She secretly kept company with Muggle-born students and had even snuck into the Muggle world a couple of times.
Several times she had been caught and punished for her actions, but she reached the point of no return the day she announced that she was going to marry Daniel Larson; a Muggle-born wizard from America who had attended Hogwarts as an exchange student.
The family was scandalized and Emma was promptly disowned. No one was to ever speak about her or even mention her name. She no longer existed as far as the family was concerned. Narcissa even warned Draco that he was never to mention Emma or the fact that she was hiding a picture of her sister. Emma had never been mentioned again and, until now, Draco had completely forgotten about her.
"Is there a problem, Mr. Malfoy?"
"I can't live with her and her 'husband'." Draco said the last word as if it were dirty.
"I beg your pardon? Why on earth not?"
"Because..." Draco groped for words. How could he explain that he couldn't live with his disowned aunt? "Because, my father wouldn't allow me to stay with a mudblood." He knew the minute that those words had come out of his mouth they were the wrong ones.
Fudge's face darkened. "Mr. Malfoy, I am fully aware of the situation surrounding your aunt, but due to certain circumstances I am afraid that neither your father nor your mother have any say in your life."
Draco felt as if he had been punched as he was reminded so coldly of the fact that his parents would no longer play a role in his life. He looked sullenly down at his lap and pulled at a loose thread on his sleeve.
"Being that we have no other option, you ARE to be sent to America where you WILL live with your aunt AND her husband. Furthermore; should you cause any trouble or treat them with the disrespect that you have just shown here, you will be brought back immediately and be harshly dealt with by the Ministry. Perhaps Mr. Garron is right in the fact that you might need a good shock to set you straight. Azkaban has a tendency to do that to young boys like yourself. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, sir." Draco said hoarsely.
"Good. Now, you are to go to your room and gather your belongings. Tomorrow you will be flying over to America. You will be escorted and deposited into the Larson's hands by Mr. Burns." Fudge motioned to the auror who stood at the door.
Draco inwardly groaned. Mr. Burns had been the man who gruffly drug him through the streets and back to the Garron's. He had a feeling that this trip to America wasn't going to be a pleasant one.
A still wet and shivering Draco sat at the heavy wooden table in the Garron's kitchen. Everything was silent and he dared not look up at the people who were currently staring at him, but instead kept his eyes trained on the table's surface.
Fudge was seated in a chair opposite him and Mrs. Garron at the head of the table. Mr. Garron stood next to Fudge, glaring hatefully at Draco, and the auror who had drug him back to the house stood guarding the door.
There was a heavy silence within the room which made Draco shift uncomfortably in his chair and keep his eyes down.
"Well, I guess I would be lying if I said that I hadn't expected something like this from you." Fudge said finally with a heavy sigh.
Draco looked up tentatively; he wasn't quite sure how to take the Minister's comment.
"Um, sir?"
"Yes?"
"Are you going to send me to Azkaban?" Draco feared what the Minister's answer was going to be. He could take being shut up in a small, filthy, stuffy room, but Azkaban...it was a whole other thing entirely.
"No, of course not." The Minister chuckled. "We don't send children to Azkaban for running off."
Draco's heart skipped a beat, but then he remembered his grim reality as Mr. Garron spoke.
"If you ask me, Minister, the boy should get a taste of Azkaban. He's nothing but trouble and with the awful upbringing he's had he'll no doubt follow in his parents' footsteps and join the Death Eaters himself as soon as he gets a chance. Ungrateful little gutter snipe."
Draco glared at Mr. Garron.
"I do agree, Mr. Garron. Sometimes a good shock is needed in order to deter a youth from going down the wrong path."
Draco's stomach flipped and he looked nervously at Fudge. The Minister saw the scared look on Draco's face and immediately continued.
"But, being that other arrangements have been made concerning young Mr. Malfoy, we shall have to forego the 'shock treatment' for now."
Mr. Garron's face fell considerably in disappointment.
"Sir, what other arrangements are those?" Draco asked.
"We've found, hopefully, a permanent place for you. We've contacted an aunt of yours and she and her husband are willing to take custody of you."
"What aunt?" Draco asked confused.
"Your aunt Emma of course."
"Aunt Emma?" Draco said, now thoroughly confused. "I don't have an aunt..." Realization dawned on him. "I can't stay with her!"
Emma was a name that was never mentioned within Draco's family. Several years ago, when he had been seven, Draco had come across an old photograph while curiously snooping through his mother's desk. In the picture were two young girls; one who looked very much like his mother. He had never seen a picture of his mother as a child before and had taken the photograph to ask her who was the other girl. At first she had practically ripped the picture out of his hand and had scolded him for going through her things, but after a few curious and persistent questions, Narcissa told him who the girl was.
The girl was his mother's not-identical twin sister Emma. Not only did the two twin girls look different, but their personalities were quite different as well. Narcissa had been the quiet one who always followed the rules, whereas Emma had been a touch rebellious.
Narcissa and Emma's father had been rather strict in raising his daughters; not unlike Lucius. Under no circumstances were the girls to bring in any Muggle object or associate with Muggles. Emma, however, had always found the Muggle world to be fascinating and would sneak in a Muggle object or two; each time swearing Narcissa to secrecy. When it had come time for the two girls to attend Hogwarts, Emma's rebelliousness grew. She secretly kept company with Muggle-born students and had even snuck into the Muggle world a couple of times.
Several times she had been caught and punished for her actions, but she reached the point of no return the day she announced that she was going to marry Daniel Larson; a Muggle-born wizard from America who had attended Hogwarts as an exchange student.
The family was scandalized and Emma was promptly disowned. No one was to ever speak about her or even mention her name. She no longer existed as far as the family was concerned. Narcissa even warned Draco that he was never to mention Emma or the fact that she was hiding a picture of her sister. Emma had never been mentioned again and, until now, Draco had completely forgotten about her.
"Is there a problem, Mr. Malfoy?"
"I can't live with her and her 'husband'." Draco said the last word as if it were dirty.
"I beg your pardon? Why on earth not?"
"Because..." Draco groped for words. How could he explain that he couldn't live with his disowned aunt? "Because, my father wouldn't allow me to stay with a mudblood." He knew the minute that those words had come out of his mouth they were the wrong ones.
Fudge's face darkened. "Mr. Malfoy, I am fully aware of the situation surrounding your aunt, but due to certain circumstances I am afraid that neither your father nor your mother have any say in your life."
Draco felt as if he had been punched as he was reminded so coldly of the fact that his parents would no longer play a role in his life. He looked sullenly down at his lap and pulled at a loose thread on his sleeve.
"Being that we have no other option, you ARE to be sent to America where you WILL live with your aunt AND her husband. Furthermore; should you cause any trouble or treat them with the disrespect that you have just shown here, you will be brought back immediately and be harshly dealt with by the Ministry. Perhaps Mr. Garron is right in the fact that you might need a good shock to set you straight. Azkaban has a tendency to do that to young boys like yourself. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, sir." Draco said hoarsely.
"Good. Now, you are to go to your room and gather your belongings. Tomorrow you will be flying over to America. You will be escorted and deposited into the Larson's hands by Mr. Burns." Fudge motioned to the auror who stood at the door.
Draco inwardly groaned. Mr. Burns had been the man who gruffly drug him through the streets and back to the Garron's. He had a feeling that this trip to America wasn't going to be a pleasant one.