Disclaimer: All the Harry Potter characters that are used in this work of fiction belong to the wonderful, J.K. Rowling. The song, 'Perfect' belongs to Simple Plan. It's a great song, I'm sure you've heard it and if you haven't, check it out.
Hope you like this; it's just an introductory chapter, really.
New A/N: Hi! Yes, I've finally come back to this fic! You can all thank my very special reviewer, Kitty, for that! It's because of her that you all get a new chapter and I've decided to fix the first two existing chapters! Nothing much here, just a couple tweaks and I've added a little flashback so you can understand the pressure Draco was facing and what made him leave. The revised chapter two and new chapter three will be up soon so look out for those!
Edit: I've taken out the lyrics in between the paragraphs but I couldn't bring myself to get rid of them completely. Therefore, I've placed them at the end of the fic. I would appreciate if you stop to read them, though I know hardly any of you will. But you should, even if you already know the words because it's a good song, but it also relates very well to this story. Try to read them with that in mind. Oh, and more grammatical corrections have been added.
PERFECT
CHAPTER ONE: CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE
"Hey, Dad, look at me
Think back and talk to me
Did I grow up according to plan?
And do you think I'm wasting my time doing things I wanna do?
But it hurts when you disapprove all along,"
Draco Malfoy stood in front of his oversized wardrobe at Malfoy Manor. He took out a few neat, clean, pressed, black robes and threw them into an open wooden trunk sitting on his bed. He gathered an armload of Muggle clothing - jeans, pants, shirts - and added them to the trunk's contents. Picking up his wand from the mahogany nightstand, he held it, just for a second, before throwing it, too, into the pile.
After rummaging around for another few minutes, adding a few essentials here and there, he finally closed the trunk and padlocked it. There was no need for a charm.
Draco picked up the now heavy trunk, took one last look around his room, sighed, and left, making sure to close the door quietly behind him. He carried the trunk down the corridor until he came upon a chestnut door. Without bothering to knock, he turned the knob and entered stealthily.
It was empty, just as he'd known it would be.
In fact, all of Malfoy Manor was empty now, with the exception of the house-elves, of course. Lucius Malfoy was surely gone somewhere on Death Eater business. He had been sent to Azkaban Wizarding Prison during Draco's fifth year, but had escaped with the help of the dementors who were on Voldemort's side.
Though Voldemort had been defeated a few months ago by none other than 'The-Boy-Who-Lived,' Lucius was still trying to recruit the few remaining Dark Side supporters before the Ministry could arrest them.
Narcissa Malfoy was out visiting 12 Grimmauld Place, Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. After she had found out that her own sister, Bellatrix Black-Lestrange, had murdered Sirius Black, their cousin, she had contacted Albus Dumbledore privately and admitted to all of Lucius's crimes. She said she wanted to help the Light Side in their fight, though she wouldn't dare let this be known by her husband.
Dumbledore had believed her. She had acted as a spy against Lucius, his plans, and events happening at Malfoy Manor itself, reporting to the Order regularly for almost two years. Lucius still hadn't a clue about what she had done and Narcissa was planning on keeping it that way.
Draco walked towards the dresser in the room he had just entered; it was his mother's bedchamber. He found a quill and some parchment and began to scribble away.
Mum,
By the time you read this note, I'll be gone. As much as I would love to stay in the wizarding world, the truth is that I can't. I just can't take things anymore, it's getting to be too much for me to handle. That's why I'm leaving. You know the Muggle world isn't my favorite place to be, but I'll have to adjust. Life will be better there . . . at least I hope so. I don't know when or if I'll back. I'll try to contact you, and I'm sorry . . . for everything. It's not your fault.
Love always,
Draco
P.S. Don't try to find me; it won't be that easy.
He left the short letter on her pillow, turned around and left to the safety and comfort of the empty and emotionless corridor. After closing his eyes briefly, he shook his head to clear his thoughts and, once again, he hauled his trunk while he walked out of Malfoy Manor. Out the French doors, through the vast lawn, down the gravel driveway, past the wrought-iron gates, and off the property.
Then he shut his eyes, this time in immense concentration, and apparated away with a distinct 'pop', never looking back at everything he was leaving behind.
That was it, Draco Malfoy, King of Slytherin, hater of Gryffindors, tough, strong, and fearless had run away. Run away from home at the lonely age of eighteen, fresh out of Hogwarts, no job, no future. Actually, he was given the choice of two possible futures.
His mother, while not quite forcing, was more of begging him to join the Order and Light Side, claiming he'd be a great help to the cause. Draco Malfoy, fight side by side with Harry Potter and his friends? Definitely not. But he couldn't refuse, that would break his mother's heart. She wanted him to become anything but his father. Moreover, he loved his mother, just as much as she loved him. She had always been there for him, especially when Lucius had started turning his back on them, all those years ago.
Ah yes, that brings us to his father, Lucius Malfoy, greatest Death Eater of them all, next Dark-wizard-to-be. He was bent on turning Draco into his first and most trusted Death Eater. However, Draco wasn't sure if that was what he wanted, so he had procrastinated and pushed back the date of his joining ceremony repeatedly. The ceremony would be the day that he would get the Dark Mark burned into his skin forever. It would be irreversible. Draco wasn't sure he was ready for that or even wanted it. Nevertheless, he couldn't possibly go against his father, could he? He was raised to be exactly like him, follow his example and had looked up to him since he could remember. Now he was beginning to have his doubts. Did he really want to be just like him?
Flashback: The night before . . .
"Draco, this has gone on long enough!" shouted Lucius. "I want you to stop playing these childish games and have a proper initiation. The Death Eaters are going to think of this as a nuisance! You are eighteen and out of Hogwarts, it's time for you to start acting like an adult and take full responsibility for your actions. You will carry on the Malfoy name and honor; I will teach you all the dark magic I possess." Lucius was frustrated with his son and all of his excuses.
Draco ground his teeth and clenched his fists angrily. "Father, you can't control me forever! For as long as I can remember, you've been ordering me around, commanding me as you would a house elf! I am your son and not your clone. Did you ever stop to think that perhaps I want to be my own person? Maybe I have my own goals or something I want to accomplish with my life? You can't live through me; you've experienced it all, now it's my turn!"
Lucius was shocked by Draco's words. "I can't believe you would dare talk back to me in such a fashion! I am doing what's best for you; you'd be a fool to turn it down! Where did such ridiculous ideas come from, Draco? How did you ever come up such crock? I always knew there was a weakness about you . . . it comes from your mother's side . . . those horrible Blacks! I knew there was a trend of rotten eggs in that family but I never would have thought my own son would be one of them . . . to betray me like this!"
Draco grabbed an antique glass vase from the marble stand to his right and hurled it against the far left wall. "I'm not betraying you, dammit! I just don't want to be like you!" With that, he had slammed the door the behind him, continuously breaking and smashing random, expensive items, often uncontrollably through magic. If he had agreed with his father then he knew in a few years he would end up as an exact duplicate of Lucius and someday his own son would hate him as much as Draco had come to hate his father. Was that what he wanted?
End of Flashback
No, that wasn't at all what Draco wanted. He didn't know what he wanted. However, what he was looking for certainly wasn't with his father, nor with his mother. Therefore, he had left. He had just gotten up and gone. I suppose you could say he cracked under the pressure. His parents were both pulling him in the opposite direction and he didn't know where he wanted to go. Nevertheless, Draco Malfoy didn't crack; he was supposed to be able to handle anything. So this was his way of handling the situation; leaving it all behind, starting over in a new place with a clean slate.
Maybe it would do him some good.
Draco apparated to King's Cross Station in London. Except this time, there was no Hogwarts Express waiting for him at Platform 9 3/4. Actually, his ticket was to Milan, Italy, and he was to board the European Exterior at Platform 5 at 9:30 a.m.
He looked up at the large clock on the brick wall and noted that it was 9:28 already. Suddenly, a train whistle blew loudly and a cloud of smoke graced the air. The Exterior was ready to go. Draco sighed in line with a couple dozen other passengers, wondering if this was really the right thing to do. Taking a deep breath of the thick, London air, he stepped onto the train and embarked on a path that would change his life forever.
"And now I try hard to make it"I try not to think
I just want to make you proudAbout the pain I feel inside
Did you know you used to be my hero?I'm never gonna be good enough for you
All the days you spent with meI can't pretend that I'm all right
Now seem so far awayAnd you can't change me,"
And it feels like you don't care anymore,"
"And now I try hard to make it "Nothing's gonna change the things that you said
I just want to make you proud Nothing's gonna make this right again
I'm never gonna be good enough for youPlease don't turn your back
I can't stand another fightI can't believe it's hard
And nothing's all right,"Just to talk to you
But you don't understand."
"'Cause we lost it all
Nothing lasts forever
I'm sorry
I can't be perfect
Now it's just too late and
We can't go back
I'm sorry
I can't be perfect."
A/N: Err, what did you think? I'd love to hear from you, so please review! Oh, and it is D/G, by the way, in case you didn't already know that.