Author: Lyra Skywalker
Title: Your Job To Believe
Genre: General / Angst
Disclaimer: Not mine; everything except the story line belong to the ever so brilliant J.K. Rowling.
Summary: "Draco, Do you remember the night you woke to find me standing over you? Do you know why I was there? I was going to kill you. Do you know why? No? Because I didn't want to condemn you to the same life I led."
Story – Your Job To Believe (Chapter 3 - What you believe)
Hogwarts came and went in a similar fashion. At the end of every year something that included Harry Potter happened and he ended up in the hospital wing. But something at the end of fourth year happened and it threw Draco's entire world off balance. And it made Draco question everything he had believed.
Draco stared at the familiar mahogany door that led to his father's office. He tried to cool the anger burning inside of him, but as he continued to stare at that door he wondered if he should knock or not.
No, he shouldn't.
Draco threw the door open with such might that it slammed against the wall.
"DAD!" he yelled, looking at his father who was faced towards the fireplace.
"FATHER!"
Lucius turned around, taking the burning, thin, brown stick out from between his lips. It was similar to a muggle incense stick, but smelt of vanilla. It was more elegant than a mere pipe.Heturned to his son with a pensive look upon his face. He seemed neither angry nor quizzical about his son's sudden tantrum on his arrival home.
"Yes Draco?"
"You know that I know you've never been against the Dark Lords beliefs." Draco began. His father looked back at him.
"Yes, and?"
"But you've always told me that he's bad…"
"And?"
"Then why is everybody saying that you're a Death Eater? AGAIN! WHY? You've always told me that you aren't! You've always told me that it isn't true! Why am I getting the increasing belief that it isn't?" Draco ran his fingers through his silver blonde hair. He threw his head back and groaned in frustration.
Lucius suddenly frowned. Not his usual concerned or annoyed frown he displayed to his son, but his angry/furious frown which he usually reserved for his 'aquantinces'.
"I tell you a lot of things that are not true Draco." He yelled. His son pulled back in shock. A shock that only lasted a few seconds before he threw back.
"You ARE a Death Eater? So it's true then…" Draco took a deep breath before he continued. "WELL I DON'T LIKE IT!"
"What do you want me to do then, Draco? The Dark Lord's back. Potter's supposed 'stories' are real. What would you like me to do? The situation's more complicated then you would think. I couldn't exactly, walk up to the dark lord and hand in my resignation or just quit. When I joined I joined for LIFE, Draco. LIFE. It isn't something that you can just quit!" Lucius threw the disintegrating wizarding cigarette onto his desk.
"I don't like it." Said Draco, furiously. "I don't like it."
"Well, get used to not liking it, Draco. Because there's nothing you can do about it." Lucius hissed, then turned his head towards the portrait of his own father who was listening to the bantering of the two Malfoys.
Bartholomew Malfoy sniffed and said "So finally Lucius. You do justice to the Malfoy name. After all these years I was beginning to believe…" he sniffed poshly "…that you were becoming…soft."
Lucius looked back at his son. "It's my Job, Draco."
"Your Job? You've always told me you didn't believe in...that kind of stuff." Draco pursed his lips and crossed his arms.
"It's my job, Draco. My Job." He paused then said, "Well, do you Draco?" Lucius asked, turning in the other direction. Draco looked at him with a frown.
"Do I what, Father?" said Draco, squinting to see his father through the fog of vanilla smoke. Lucius turned back towards his son.
"Do you believe that the Dark Lord's evil?"
Draco paused, because he didn't know how to reply to such a question. But before he could reply his father took out his watch and looked at the time. He walked over to the glass cabinet beside the fireplace and took out a vial of deep purple potion.
"Come Draco, we're going to the fourth floor."
"Fourth floor? We have a fourth floor? Why wasn't I told about this?"
Lucius rolled his eyes, uncharacteristically. "The Left Wing Attic, Draco. We're going to the Left Wing Attic."
Draco stood, rooted to the spot.
"Well, are you coming?" Lucius asked.
"I still don't forgive you!"
"WELL?"
Then Draco followed.
(Two Years Later – Sixth year)
Draco stood by Lorenz, watching the people come and go. He watched the train blow puffs of smoke and felt his butler's hand on his shoulder. Lorenz waited as Draco fingered his wand lovingly. It was hooked to his belt and hung by him.
"Write, Draco" Lorenz told him, like his father would. Draco didn't say anything as he stared darkly at the school train.
It was strange. To not have his father here to say, "Make me proud." Or here to say "I want to know what…goes on…at Hogwarts." A cryptic message for 'fill me in so I can tell the Dark Lord what is happening'.
Blaise waited by the train entrance. "Took you long enough."
Draco looked at him from the corner of his eyes. "I was talking with Lorenz." Blaise snorted.
"Yeah…right. More like exchanging one word sentences." He held up the Daily Prophet.
"You read that shit?" Draco asked…or snorted. His friend nodded.
"I like to be well informed…excuse me. And anyway. You haven't read it have you?" Blaise threw the newspaper onto the seat and flopped down inelegantly.
"Let me guess…the mass brake out?" Draco asked dryly. The other Slytherin stretched out on the seat, cat like, and sighed.
"Yeah. It made front page. Your father's out too you know."
"Of course I fucking know. He's my father. Why wouldn't I know?" Draco spat. He was in no mood to have this conversation. He watched the station disappear as the train took of, swinging side to side as it travelled along the old tracks. The motion was making Draco feel sick and dizzy, or maybe it was because he felt that this year would be bad…bad news, bad events…
"Alright. What's wrong?" he heard Blaise say quite distantly.
"Wrong? Nothing's wrong? Why would anything be wrong?" Draco said too quickly.
"Why? I know something's wrong! I've known you since I was bloody three. Something's wrong." Blaise turned to see if anybody was coming. Pansy was due to pester them soon.
"I just have a really bad feeling about this year."
Blaise snorted and bit into a wriggling chocolate frog. "This year? Why? Because of the war? Because of your father? Why would this year be any different? Every year at Hogwarts has been…eventful. Shit, if I may."
Draco leaned back and shrugged.
"Oh, stop brooding Dray, it doesn't become of you."
"You're starting to sound like my father." The blonde teen groaned.
"Meh"
Draco frowned. "Meh isn't a word Blaise." Blaise laughed.
"No, it's a sound of indifference."
The compartment door slide open and Pansy stalked in. She draped herself across Draco's lap and grinned.
"I heard about your father. Good news eh? Now the war can get back on track!"
Draco pushed her off.
"I don't want to talk about the war right now, Pansy."
Pansy frowned and flicked a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Ooo…did you hear the Mudblood and Weasel are dating?"
"How nice." Draco said dryly. "Two deranged people who belong together…I may vomit."
Blaise laughed. "Really? Hah, nothing unexpected. What's meant too be is meant too be." Draco turned around.
"Are you meantally disturbed or something? Having a pureblood Weasley is bad enough, butthe thought ofa halfblood Weasley?" Draco said.
Pansy started laughing. A laugh which resembled a laugh of a hyena with a stomach ache. Draco frowned and shook his head in exasperation. If only Pansy wasn't the most popular girl in Slytherin, he'd drop her faster than he would a mudblood.
But she was, and he had too put up with her.
This was going to be one long year.
Draco's eyes opened slightly. It was dark and a figure loomed above him. He gasped and cried out in shock. A hand gently touched his cheek, stroking softly.
"Its okay baby, it's just me." His father whispered softly.
Baby? His father hadn't called him that in years. He was nine now, it was just Draco.
"Daddy? What're you doing here?" Draco murmured, his voice laced with sleep.
"Nothing Draco, just watching you. Go back to sleep."
And he did.
Draco groaned and sat up. Why did he have to dream of the past? He usually dreamt memories, memories he wanted to re-live, and memories he wanted to forget. But at least he was luckier than Blaise who dreamt about dancing 'bunny rabbit's'. How Hufflepuff.
The first night of school and he didn't sleep well, but then again. When DID he sleep well?
Draco fixed his tie, he un-did it then fixed it again.
"Oh for Merlin's sake, just hurry up Draco!" Blaise yelled, from outside their dorm.
Draco examined his reflection. He really wasn't happy with it. He…
"DRACO!"
'Oh fine.' Draco gave up and walked outside.
"Yes Mum."
Blaise turned the page of Daily Prophet.
"Stop reading that shit Blaise, I'll just write to Lorenz. He'll tell me what's going on." Draco poked at his bacon and eggs.
"Not hungry Dray?" Pansy asked. Draco glanced at her and hissed.
"Don't call me Dray! It's Draco."
"Aww…" Pansy whined. "But Blaise does."
"Yeah, and Blaise is Blaise." Draco snapped, sawing a sausage in half. "And you are just plain old you."
"What?" Pansy turned her body towards him, her honey laced voice gone. "You'd better watch yourself, Draco." She turned back to Millicent who sat opposite her and said to Draco. "Anyway, I'll call you what ever I like." Her voice uncannily and quite spookily resembled Umbriges'.
Blaise laughed and spooned eggs into his mouth. "Yeah, you see, Pansy, I'm just special." He laughed again at Pansy's obvious irritation. "Hey Dray! It's Lorenz' bird,"
He pointed to a grey and white owl that swooped down, late as all the other owl's had delivered their mail, and landed on Draco' shoulder, tearing the soft cloth.
Draco took the letter and turned it over. The Malfoy Crescent was embossed into the parchment envelope. He opened it and read.
Draco,
Your mother sends her wishes and apologises for not being at the station to see you off. She also apologises that she can not write to you as she is very busy right now. She has given you a package of your favourite sweets and a new robe she has chosen for you.
Signed, Lorenz.
He pocketed the letter for later
Draco took his knife from his drawer and pressed it into the tip of his finger. Blood trickled into a small white mosaic bowl. He dipped his quill in and signed in elegant cursive writing at the bottom of the letter: Draco.
The black words cleared and the blood spread across the page, entwining like vines to form words. It was from his father.
The letter read:
Dear Draco,
I am safe, but will not tell you where I am staying in case this letter in intercepted…
Authors note:
Yay! Another chapter done.
Reviews are welcomed with open arms, and even if you do not wish to continue reading this fic…reviews are still welcome, and a big huge for everybody who reviews!
: D nothing very interesting to say right now…and constructive criticism and suggestions are always welcome! Please: D
It would do me well to make my fic better:)