A Cry in the Night
Chapter One
Draco Malfoy sat up in bed very quickly. The blood in his body rushed to his head, and he put a hand to his forehead. He looked up suddenly, he had heard a scream. He recognized it instantly; it was the scream of his older sister, Icy. The scream was not an unfamiliar occurrence; it rang through all of the great rooms in the Manor, echoing off the walls, chilling his every bones. It was his sister screams of pain and their father beat her.
He slowly pulled on his clothes, a pair of jeans, a T-shirt and then with his silk wizard robes over the top, he walked out of his room.
"No! I'm eighteen, Father! I can decide what I want with my life!" he heard his older sister screech as he slunk silently down he long hallway, lavishly furnished with family crests, a long oriental rug, and portraits of familiar relatives.
"I am your FATHER! And you will do as I say!" Lucius roared. Draco heard a loud 'slap' and the sound of a bookcase falling as he crept down the stairs, he hesitated half-wanting to turn back and hide in his room, half-wanting to run ahead and protect his sister. Someone, whom he couldn't yet see, laughed in the background. The laugh was cold and Draco shivered inwardly as he heard it.
"I won't do it! You can't control my life!" Icy screamed. Draco saw her struggle to her feet and grip the marble mantle piece. He gripped the railing and peered through it, slowly inching his way down the stairs while keeping the room below in clear view.
"I'll do as I please...you listen to me girl...this is a tradition, an honor to our family!" Lucius Malfoy said with menace. He was pacing in front of his daughter. Draco thought, for a moment, that maybe his father was starting to lose it. There was madness in his family after all.
"One fucking generation, Father! I am not- NO!!!" Draco crouched down and peered through the railing even farther. He had reached the landing now and was not sure whether he wanted to descend the final set of stairs that would lead him right into the chaos. There was another loud smacking sound as soon as Icy had used a swear word. Lucius didn't tolerate his children talking back to him. "I will NOT!" Icy said more fervently. Draco could see a red hand print on her face from where their father had struck her.
Lucius plunged a hand into his robes and took out his wand. Draco held his breath and bit his lip. "Very well, Icy, as you wish - Crucio!" Lucius roared.
"No!" She sobbed, falling to her knees under her father's wand. She cried outin pain but Lucius was done, he kicked her to the side and went to the mantle place as if to think. Draco saw his mother crying silently in a chair, she was rocking back and forth a hand to her mouth, staring sadly at her only daughter and fearfully at her husband. Lucius glanced quickly over his shoulder towards the dark corner of the room. Draco followed his gaze and....there he was. Draco smothered a gasp Voldemort...in this house… He thought that Voldemort was weak but he didn't look as weak as people assumed he was. Draco flinched upon seeing his snake-like, blood red eyes.
The reason why Icy was being beaten into submission suddenly occurred to Draco; Icy was resisting being made a servant of the Dark Lord, a Death Eater.
He watched Lucius kneel down beside Icy, his face set with an intimidating gaze. He reached out a hand and put it on her shoulder, Draco couldn't tell whether this was compassion or his trying to cause further harm. Lucius had paused before speaking, looking deeply into the eyes of his daughter. For a fleeting second, Draco saw what his father did, reflected in his sister's face. Happy memories, from what seemed long ago, like when Draco and Icy would run to meet their father after work or the time when he taught them how to fly. Then a million memories of his childhood flooded over Draco and he felt a lump rise in his throat. He focused on his father again and as he did he felt he finally understood what Lucius must have felt giving his only daughter away: I have no weaknesses. I am flawless. Even my wife… Even my children. I can't allow them to become my downfall.
"You will do as I tell you, girl. Honor the family..." he repeated, "you're only causing a scene," he added in a deadly whisper. He glanced nervously over at Voldermort.
"Father...no. How...how could you? I'm...I'm your daughter!" Icy sobbed loudly, curling up into a ball and pushing her face into the plush carpet.
"Get up." Lucius spat as he stood up suddenly and sharply.
"Father...Father, please!" she begged getting to her knees in prayer formation.
"Stick out your arm, girl," said the cold voice. Draco held his breath. He had been trying so hard to listen to what his father was saying that he had forgotten about Voldemort being in the room.
"Father! No!" Icy pleaded again, but Lucius pulled her up roughly by her wrist and pushed up her left sleeve.
"I said stick out your arm!" the sickening voice roared. Icy closed her eyes and held out her left arm. "Your upper arm, girl." Icy, sadly, removed her robes, so that she was now in a tank top and jeans. Voldemort placed his wand on her arm and uttered a spell. Icy gasped and bit her lip painfully hard, Draco was sure that he saw blood trickle down her chin where she had bitten through it.
Voldemort stepped back turned his head and looked directly at Draco; he gasped and backed up against the wall, away from the here," he commanded. Slowly, Draco walked down the steps. When he entered the room, he saw his mother still in the chair sobbing, while Icy was kneeling and gripping her arm, looking fearfully at her father. Lucius put his hand on Draco's shoulder, squeezing it hard. Lucius Malfoy's gestures were always too confusing for Draco to judge. He wasn't sure if this was a mild punishment for his being caught eaves dropping.
"How old are you boy?" the Dark Lord asked. Draco didn't dare look him in the eye.
"I'm sixteen, sir," Draco said boldly straightening up and staring straight ahead, not at Voldemort, not at his father, but at the wall behind. He remembered everything his father had ever taught him about the Dark Lord. Show respect. He can tell if you're lying.
"And what is it that you plan on doing after school?" Voldemort asked, sounding interested. Is he trying to be nice? Draco thought to himself.
"I am not sure, sir," he replied.
"Have you been schooled in the Dark Arts?"
"Yes - yes, sir. Father has taught me." Draco said still staring straight ahead.
"Good…good...Lucius, I trust that your son will follow in your footsteps?" The conversation now floated over to Draco's father. Draco noticed that Voldermort sounded slightly happy about this. Draco knew that his father was a powerful Death Eater, in the inner circle. Voldermort hoped Draco would carry on that same position in the Dark Lord's ring of faithful followers.
"You have my word, my lord," Lucius said as he released Draco. He edged away from the Dark Lord and his Death Eater father, towards his sister.
Get out! Draco, just get out!
He turned around, at the sound of Icy's voice in his head, and saw his sister staring at him, her eyes sliding in and out of focus,
Get out Draco...please Draco Icy pleaded silently. She had remained on her knees still gripping her upper-arm, wiping the blood off of her chin as if it was annoying.
Why? He sent the question back to his sister. Both Icy and Draco could communicate with their minds. A rare gift only a few distant relatives on his mother's side had. This quality of communication made them seem almost like twins. Draco wanted to smile for a second. He remembered how they used to startle their parents when they were younger: mind games and such, finishing each other sentences and talking to each other when they weren't allowed to leave their rooms.
Just do it, Draco. I have a bad feeling...now! Voldermort and Lucius' voice's filled the room with mild talk of "business"
Draco obedientlywalked up the stairs he had entered from. He stopped at the first step and looked at Icy, she shot him a pleading look, and he started up stairs.
"Well,Lucius...one more bit of business to be done, as we discussed earlier?" The tone of voice that Voldermort spoke in made Draco want to run down and protect his sister again.
"Erm...yes...master" Lucius looked uneasy "…Very well. Icy--get up girl," he commanded quietly. She obeyed her head hung low, and her long black hair falling all over her face. Again, Draco thought of his happier memories, the one where he had dyed Icy's hair with her in a bathroom. Even after all that had happened he wanted to smile - the sugar-white roots were starting to show.
"Icy...you are to leave with our Lord," Lucius said, his voice shaking. No matter how cold-hearted he was, he was still a father who had trouble giving his daughter over to the Dark Lord.
"Father! Father! No!" she cried in vain.
"Go, Icy," Lucius said, looking away. Draco followed his father's gaze towards his mother, who was shaking again, and staring at her husband in terror and pleading with her eyes, to somehow make this stop.
"Come girl...it's getting late," Voldemort said, leering. A small, fat man walked from the shadows and proceeded down the hallway opening the large front doors for his master.
"Father NO!!! I'm your only daughter! NO! FATHER!" Icy screamed, trying to get Lucius' attention without avail. She staggered over to him and grabbed a handful of his robes in a tight grip. "Father, I know that you love me, please!" She sobbed.
"COME!" Voldemort roared. He took out his wand and pointed it directly at Icy. He violently grabbed her arm. She fought as hard as she could, screaming for her father as they went. Draco, who had been watching from upstairs landing, froze in horror
"Icy..." he whispered, his word only heard by himself.
"NO! FATHER DON'T DO THIS TO ME! NOOOO!" Her screams were heard throughout the house. The door slammed shut with a deafening bang.
Draco watched as Lucius picked up a bottle of whiskey and attempted to pour a glass but missed, his hands shaking horribly. Instead, he brought the bottle to his lips and took a heavy drink, his face white and his whole body unstable. Narcissa stood up, collecting herself; she brushed her hair out of her face and avoiding her husband's eye, exited through other side of the room which led to her chamber. Lucius brought the bottle to his mouth again and drained the contents. Then chucking the bottle into the fire which caused a loud explosion, he kicked over several chairs and sat down angrily into the only armchair in the room. He gripped his hair painfully hard keeping his head down as if in thought.
Draco slowly walked into his bedroom, shutting the door softly he sat down on his bed. His eyes wandered over pictures around his room. The family portrait of the Malfoy's on a beach, by their house in France, was framed next to his door. The next one that caught his attention was of Icy and himself at his father's annual Christmas party, which was more of an excuse for death eaters to get drunk at The Manor. Draco and Icy were dressed in their best Armani clothes; Icy in her blue dress that she adored, her strappy black shoes dangled in one hand; Draco was in black slacks, a white button up shirt, which was wrinkled slightly and a jacket that was undone. Icy had her arm around Draco, a bottle of firewhisky in her hand their heads were together and they were laughing. Icy's picture self waved at Draco. He put his head down in concentration as he tried to contact the real Icy, the one no longer happy and smiling but the one who was now prisoner of the Dark Lord.