Disclaimer: Potterverse belongs to JK Rowling, of course. I only own the plot.

unwanted answers

It was after dinner and the crowd in the Great Hall was gradually thinning out as students left for their respective dormitories. Draco had barely touched his food, swallowing a bite or two only to shut up Pansy's insistence that he eat something. He did not understand why she cared, to him, she was just an aquaintance. Then again, he had made the mistake of asking her out to the Yule Ball three years ago and she had been insufferably clingy since then. He should have known she had feelings for him or he would not have asked her out.

I must warn you, that whatever happens, never, I repeat never fall in love.

It had been like that the whole day, bits and pieces of the letter swarming in his mind, poking incessantly at his brain, hungry for explanations. He shuddered slightly. 'I won't even dream of marrying Pansy .. much less fall in love with her.' Then he wondered why he'd thought of her to fill the role of his future wife. He hated her personality, her character, her voice, her attitude and most of all, he hated her in general. Then again, he hated alot so it did not really make any difference that she was on his hate list. In fact, she was the least important person he hated which was mostly why he put up with her annoying clinginess. He just could not be bothered enough with her to put her in her place.

Draco reluctantly pulled himself up to his feet and trudged out of the Hall. He needed to see Dumbledore, having agreed to meet him at his office after dinner. 'Maybe the old man has some answers to this bloody letter.' Ten minutes later found him standing outside the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance to the Headmaster's office. Only then did it strike him that he did not know the password. 'Okay, no, I know the password, it was in the stupid instructions from the trainride here .. but what was it?'

And so he tried every single password he could remember from the list. "Bobotuber pus ... golden snitch ... silver serpent ... ugh come on! Pumpkin juice! Oh, open up already you great gargoyle git!"

The gargoyle jumped aside, revealing the revolving staircase behind it. Draco blinked in amazement, then shook his head and stepped up to the staircase. As he reached the top, his feeling of anger, hurt and puzzlement returned and he knocked briskly on the wooden door separating the landing from the Headmaster's office. A muffled voice invited him to enter.

"Ah, Mr Malfoy. I was expecting you. I hope you'll apologise me for being a little slow in letting you through the gargoyle, I was a little caught up." A portrait of a kindly looking wizard behind Dumbledore gave a soft little cough as though indicating he was the one Dumbledore had been caught up with. "Please, do sit down."

"Now, I'm quite sure you know why we needed to have a little talk?"

A rush of emotions passed through him like a cold winter breeze. "I'm not entirely sure, sir. Please explain."

Dumbledore studied the young boy's face, noting the slight change in his breathing rate although he fought hard to appear as calm as possible on the surface. "Draco ... I believe there is a little piece of parchment in your pocket, although .. I might be wrong."

"Oh..." Suddenly Draco was finding it hard to breathe. This was it. Dumbledore had not wanted to see him about his cutting classes after all. The old man instead wanted to talk about his letter concerning his parents' death. He would actually get the answers he'd been pondering over the past 12 hours.

"You see, I like to keep myself updated in many aspects. Some people may define it as being nosy .. I don't doubt their assumptions. Perhaps I do get a little bit nosy when I let curiousity get the best of me. And perhaps I shouldn't because I know how well-disliked I am by certain people because I cannot control my curiousity. Your parents, Draco, could possibly be two of those people."

"You know?" was all Draco could breathe out.

A grave nod. "I regret to say that I do. It is things like this that give meaning to the phrase 'secrets should be left untold'." Dumbledore leaned forward, rested his elbows on his desk and brought the tips of his fingers together, his eyes still studying the boy over his glasses.

"Before you were born, before even your parents were born, there lived an ancient curse upon your family name, Draco Malfoy. A curse sealed by a man 11 generations before you came along. A curse activated upon his death. Some said the curse was a result of him being a bitter coldhearted man but I do believe the real reason was his wife."

"His wife was a beautiful young lady and a smart, powerful witch too. He loved her and worked hard to give her the life she had only dreamed of. They had many children and he was happy with his life. Until that fateful day when his wife was killed that his world shattered. That was when he became bitter and cold. He believed nothing was worth living for and his once-happy world turned into one of anger, sadness and hatred. And he decided that if and when his children ever got married, they would never have to experience such trauma."

"He cast a powerful curse to last 12 Malfoy generations of marriage. A curse that would kill the remaining half of each married Malfoy couple should the other die first. A curse that would lose a Malfoy everything he ever owned and loved should he ever fall in love himself. A curse that would kill the offending partner if a Malfoy ever married a non-pureblood, for his own wife had been a muggleborn."

Draco was lost in a trance, his eyes glazed over as he slowly, painfully processed what he had just been told. A Malfoy curse! And he would be the last remaining generation trapped in the bloody curse. He seethed with anger. So that was why it had been drilled so hard into his head that all muggleborns were filth! That was why his parents had such a cold, distant relationship. Answers leapt out at him from every corner of his brain, then realised something with a jolt.

"My mother ... she died because.."

Dumbledore merely nodded.