Disclaimer: See chapter 01.
Thanks a lot to Alice, my beta reader, and to everyone who reviewed! 1000 reviews! Wheeee! That's the best birthday present ever!
Chap. 43 – The Manor
When Draco arrived at Malfoy Manor, he felt a variety of emotions. Strangely, most of his memories weren't as bad as he thought they would be. He had spent some quality time in the place. All of his whims had been fulfilled and satisfied by his mother and father when he was little. He felt something weighting in his heart as he remembered how Lucius had taught him how to fly at a very young age; how his mother had taught him how to be a perfect little gentleman and how to always keep his head high no matter the situation. Narcissa had also taught him his sense of fashion and style. She had pampered him quite a lot and presented him with the best there was in both the Wizarding and Muggle world.
It was funny to think about those things now. He actually thought that once he saw Malfoy Manor again, he would be overtaken by horrible memories, the type that would scare him away. But the opposite was happening. He did have good memories of that beautiful and ancient castle-like mansion where generations of Malfoys had lived.
And the most striking thing of all was that he actually had good memories of his parents. When he was just a kid with no knowledge of the world, that place had been his private kingdom, and his mother and father had been heroes in his eyes. Narcissa had always posed as the most elegant woman Draco had ever seen, and continued to be up unto this date. His father had been the example of good manners and outstanding classiness. Draco had worshiped them like Gods and had hoped to grow up to be just like them.
But then, his wonderful childhood memories had been overthrown by reality.
It was true that Draco had been treated like a little prince until the age of eleven. He had reigned absolutely in his house, parading around like a true wizarding aristocracy member who had the world in his hands and not even the sky as a limit, never questioning his parents' authority because they seemed to know what was best for him.
It all changed, though, when Harry Potter came to his life. After their encounter in Madam Malkin's, Draco's life had taken a turn. After Harry, it was all about competing with him, beating him in everything, making the four eyed boy suffer and experience what was like to come from an inferior species. Lucius had encouraged Draco to hate Potter with all his might. And because Harry had treated him with such disdain, it wasn't very difficult for Draco to find reasons to loathe him.
It wasn't complicated to keep his hate for Harry intact over the years. What became very hard for Draco was to deny his true self. And that wasn't all. His parents' constant demands for him to be perfect had driven him insane. Every time Draco went back to the Manor for summer vacation, Lucius seemed more and more disappointed with him, and he always pointed out new flaws in Draco's character.
His mother had indulged him for a longer period, but after it was proven that her little doll had a will of his own and not hers, she had become as vicious in her comments and actions as Lucius. His parents had been so disgusted with him that they had even hired Johnson Smear to lure Draco into a false romance only to make his life a living hell. Lucius had expected Draco to come back to the Manor begging to be accepted again. He had underestimated Draco's strength and Severus' compassion.
It was Severus who came to his rescue when he was broken and in despair. Severus had introduced him to the care of Molly and Arthur Weasley before disappearing from the wizarding world after Black. And for that, Draco would be eternally grateful to him. It still stunned Draco how the Weasleys had accepted him so freely and warmly, considering the horrible way the Malfoys had treated them for so many decades, if not centuries.
Draco had found his way. He had made peace with himself. And he would be damned if he let his parents mess up what he had built over the years, which was why he was in front of the Manor in the first place. It would be the final confrontation.
He felt a soft touch on his back and he turned around with a feeble smile.
"Are you ready?" asked Hermione.
Draco heaved a sigh. "I'd be lying to you if I said that I am. If I could, I'd postpone this moment forever. But," he said, licking his dry lips, "I know I cannot drag this on eternally. I must do this."
"You don't have to do this alone, though," she reminded him gently. "I can go in with you."
Draco shook his head. "It won't be pretty inside, Hermione."
"I never thought it would," she declared. "Which is exactly why you could use some support."
"No, this is my battle. I have to face this on my own," he said determinedly. "Thanks for the offer, though."
"Well, if you need me, I'll be right here. Just shoot a warning spell through one of the windows."
"I will," he said, and she smiled at him reassuringly. He took a deep breath and walked towards the Manor's front door.
There were no Hit Wizards around, which did not surprise him. His father had probably paid them to keep their distance and just pretend to be watching him every once in a while.
He stared at the massive wooden door carved with snakes and the Malfoy crest. Then he undid the wards that protected it one by one, thankful that his parents had kept the same protection spells on it. If they had changed them, it would be difficult for him to enter.
He wondered if Narcissa and Lucius were waiting for him. After all, Draco had already been invited to join them two days ago.
He stepped into the Manor carefully, watching out for unfriendly new spells. He found none. The sound of his heels hitting the marble floor reverberated in the long and silent corridor of the entrance hall with each step he took. It only stopped when he reached his father's favourite room in the house: his office.
Draco opened it slowly, and he held his breath in anticipation. With his wand at the ready, he made his way inside and found it empty. The only thing that gave away that Lucius had been there already was his lit pipe on the Victorian desk. Draco breathed deeply in relief. He hadn't noticed he had been holding his breath until that moment.
His peace didn't last long. He felt the presence of his father behind him and turned around quickly. His eyes met Lucius' gaze, and he tried as hard as he could not to look away. It was important to show his father that he wouldn't bend or allow himself to be humiliated.
Even though Lucius still had bags under his eyes, his arrogance was printed on his face. As was his smirk, which reminded Draco so much of his own. They stared at each other for a long time. Draco gulped and ordered himself to remain calm and composed. He was ready for Lucius. He could handle him.
"Hello, son. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Lucius finally asked with phoney courtesy. " I thought you wouldn't come, although your mother kept trying to convince me otherwise. She still hasn't given up on you, that silly woman."
"Aren't you going to ask how I came in?"
Lucius gripped the head of his cane and walked towards an armchair near the fireplace. Draco tensed for a moment, but then he relaxed as Lucius passed by him without doing anything. Properly seated, Lucius ran his fingers through his now short silvery blond hair and held his chin high.
"Why would I ask you such a stupid question? I know how you came in. Your mother has kept the old wards around the Manor in hope that you'd come back someday." Draco raised an eyebrow at that, and Lucius smirked at him. "She's your mother, Draco. She has faith in you and your loyalty to your family." Draco snorted at that. Lucius sneered. "Like I said, she's a silly woman. But you haven't answered my question yet. Why are you here?"
"I thought you'd be packing by now," Draco said. "I thought you'd be long gone."
"So you came here in hope to stop me? Arrest me, perhaps?"
Draco didn't flinch to answer. "Possibly."
Lucius gave him a throaty chuckle. "You wouldn't dare arrest your own father."
"I would," said Draco firmly.
Lucius started at him thoughtfully. "Perhaps I'm just as silly as your mother. I confess that I was also hoping you'd come back someday with your tail between your legs. But looking into your eyes now… You've changed. You're stronger. Not even that awful experience with Smear has made you quiver. You're even an Auror. A disgrace to our ancestors. But I'm oddly proud of you. You've managed to survive without us. Congratulations!"
Draco sneered. "Sure you are. Next thing I know you'll be inviting me for tea, and we'll spend some quality time together as father and son. You'll ask me about my work and I'll ask you about your days in prison. I'll forgive you for being such an evil bastard. You'll forgive me for being a fag and ruining your plans to raise a Malfoy brat to keep our lineage. We'll both cry and hug each other, and realise we've spent precious time apart."
Lucius smirked. "I wouldn't go that far. Tea would be fine, though." Lucius took his wand from his robes, making Draco tense and grip his own in his hand. But all Lucius did was tap his wand on the table and make a Chinese tea set materialize on it. Draco's cup flew in his direction and stopped in front of him. "Would you please have a seat? I promise I won't make any sudden movements or go for your throat. That's not my style anyway."
"No, your style is to sneak up from behind and stab the person in the back," Draco pointed out, taking the cup in his hands and smelling it suspiciously.
"No poison, I assure you. Would I poison my own son?"
"You hired someone to rape me repeatedly," Draco reminded with a bitter sneer. He was stunned at how great he was holding himself together. "Shouldn't I be worried?"
"Oh, but that was to teach you a lesson," Lucius said, taking a sip of his tea. "It's what any father would have done. For instance, what's the first thing a father does when he catches his son smoking? Make the little brat smoke the whole pack, so he won't repeat the same mistake again. I only used the same principle on you. Was I wrong? Maybe. But I was only thinking of what was best for you."
Draco trembled slightly. Lucius was despicable for thinking that what he had done to Draco was just the normal way to correct his character.
"It didn't work, anyway. I guess I underestimated you and your awful taste in men. Oh, by the way, I saw that lovely picture of you and Harry Potter. It's such a shame that you didn't inform me about this crush in the past… We could have used it to our advantage. I could have used it as a way to escape prison."
Draco gave a hollow laugh. "You're kidding."
"No, I'm certainly not," remarked Lucius. "I'd have told everyone that I had Harry's best interest at heart by working for Voldemort, because my son was having an affair with him. And of course, being the great father that I am, I was cheering for their romance and only did what Voldemort asked me to because I thought I was protecting them."
Draco snorted. "That doesn't make any sense! And it's just like you to be ok with it as long as you have something to gain from it. You despise me for being gay."
"Too true." Lucius shrugged. "But can't a father change his mind, especially when it comes to saving his own butt?" Draco shook his head in disbelief. "Aren't you going to sit, Draco? You're making me nervous. And drink that tea already. It isn't poisoned."
Draco set the untouched cup on the round centre table without saying anything, and he sat on the opposite armchair of Lucius with his wand on his lap.
"So, where are you heading? Paris? Vienna? South Africa?" Draco asked casually.
Lucius placed his teacup next to Draco's, snapped his fingers and waited for his pipe to settle in his right hand before smoking it with a sigh of pleasure.
"I'm not going anywhere," Lucius informed him calmly. "I have no reason to. In a couple of months my sentence will be extinguished, and I'll be a free man again."
Draco frowned. "How can you be so sure?"
"Oh, Draco, my poor innocent son." The pipe rested in Lucius' lips for a while. Then the older Malfoy took it out of his mouth and looked at nothing in particular. "It took a while, but the good days are almost back again. Corruption is finally in vogue this autumn. It's amazing what bribe can do to people. I swear I didn't have to threaten anyone this time, just wave some money in their faces and some real estate. That was all it took to buy my freedom. I suppose I'm a little sad to lose that gorgeous Villa in Tuscany, but… well… everything has a price. Besides, I can always get it back later."
"So you already bought your way out. What the Winzengamot did was only for show…" Draco said, feeling sad that his predictions had been correct.
Lucius nodded slowly, a big grin printed on his face. "Did you think differently? You used to be smarter, Draco. You actually thought I'd leave the country like an ordinary criminal? Please! Not me! I'm staying here! And soon enough I'll start my business again. And mark my words: I'll be influencing the Ministry just the way I used to."
Draco bit his lower lip and realised that he had been wrong about a lot of things concerning his father, which didn't mean that Lucius was less dangerous. On the contrary. Draco should be very careful around him.
"You might be lying to me," Draco pondered. "And the moment I turn my back to you, you'll be long gone to an unknown location."
"I won't, I can assure you. Of course, I know it's hard to believe your old man. But I'm being honest, I swear!" Lucius paused, smiled at Draco's face and then finished, "As honest as I can be."
"Aren't you about to lose everything to the Ministry? That was why mother went after me to ask me to come back and have our assets passed on to me," Draco said.
Lucius shook his head. "Your mother jumped ahead of me. I didn't authorize her to offer you such a thing. You're disowned. However, I did tell her that I'd change my mind if you asked for forgiveness and came crawling back, which I know you won't do. Unless… I threaten your sweet lover's life." There was something wicked in Lucius' tone that sent shivers down Draco's spine.
"Interesting point," Draco said, trying to ignore the voice in his head that kept inciting him to hex Lucius. "You are threatening me. I've been receiving intimidating notes ever since that St. Mungo's photo was published. And two days ago my apartment was trashed and I was almost killed by a dear acquainted of ours: Johnson Smear. Did you hire Johnson again?" Draco asked, and he was surprised to see genuine astonishment in Lucius' face. "Oh, come on. You didn't know?"
"There wasn't anything in the Daily Prophet," Lucius pointed out.
"Oh, that's right. My boss didn't want the news printed. He thinks I'm the guilty one, Merlin knows why, so he thinks that it will look bad for the Department if the news go published." Draco smiled bitterly.
"I really don't know anything about this recent event. And I swear I have nothing to do with it. I wouldn't hire anyone to kill you, Draco. I'd do it myself if necessary," Lucius said coldly, and Draco believed him. "Did Smear tell you that he was under my orders?"
"No." Draco felt his palms sweating. His self-control was beginning to crumble. "He said it was Bellatrix Lestrange."
"Your Aunt Bella?" he asked with eyebrows raised. If it wasn't for a vein pulsing frantically in Lucius' forehead, Draco would had never known he was furious.
Draco nodded. "Yes."
Lucius left his pipe resting on the centre table, picked up his wand and pointed it at the fireplace. A white ray of light hit it creating white flames. Lucius shouted for Trinity and a house-elf came through it gasping for breath. The small creature bent until his pointed nose almost touched the Turkey tapestry on the floor.
"Tell Narcissa I need to see her immediately in my office," Lucius ordered. The house-elf rushed inside the flames again and disappeared. Lucius stared at Draco but didn't say anything.
"So you really didn't know anything about Smear and Bellatrix," Draco said in a low voice.
"No, I didn't. I'm actually very angry to hear such things. You see, I was expecting you to come at some point, even though I knew you wouldn't come for the same reasons your mother thought you would. I knew you'd confront me and ask me questions about how I managed to convince the Winzengamot to mitigate my sentence. But I didn't know you'd come because someone had attacked you and you thought it was me."
"But you saw the picture in the Daily Prophet. I thought…"
Lucius interrupted him. "I won't deny that I was shocked by it. The whole article was quite amusing, though." Lucius smirked. "And the way the journalist hinted that Potter could be the next Dark Lord… Ingenious. But not at all true. I actually thought that the picture was a montage, which proves that even your old man can be naïve sometimes!"
"So you weren't angry with me?" Draco was very confused. "You weren't thinking about revenge because I'd broken the curse Voldemort placed on Harry before he died?"
"Why would I want revenge? I'm most grateful that Voldemort is dead, Draco. To be honest, I'd rather live in a world without him. He was too bloody insane. Sooner or later he would have killed your mother and me. I protected your sorry ass for quite some time, making it look like you had deserted our army, not joined the Order. He knew I was lying. If Potter hadn't killed him, we'd all be dead by now."
"But I've thought…"
"You thought wrong. I'd only go after Potter if he were in my way. He isn't. Why should I bother with him?"
Draco was too dumbfounded to say anything else.
"There aren't many Death Eaters left," Lucius continued. "And the ones that are on the loose wouldn't risk going after you. You're an Auror. They know better than that. But then we have your lunatic Aunt Bella…"
They were interrupted by the arrival of Narcissa wearing a beautiful light pink and white robe full of little diamonds and crystals shaped like stars. Her long and silky blond hair cascaded down her back, making her look almost ethereal. Her eyes flickered as she spotted Draco next to Lucius, and her lips curled into a smirk.
"So you've finally regained your senses," she said most pleased with herself. "I knew you would."
"He came here to stop me from leaving the country, dear," stated Lucius. "And when I told him I had no such plan, he accused me of sending Smear after him to kill him. What do you think of it, darling?"
"Rubbish," she promptly answered. "Why would we want to kill our own son?"
Draco made a face. That whole conversation was becoming more and more surreal. He felt a knot in his stomach. It was very unnerving to be in the same room with both of his parents.
"Indeed," Lucius said, looking at her intently. "And then he told me the most interesting news… That the one responsible for Smear is your dear sister Bellatrix."
For a moment, Narcissa became even paler than normal. Her delicate hands trembled slightly and so did her chin. "It is quite interesting. I haven't heard from Bella in a long time. I wonder where she is."
Lucius frowned. He got up at once and came to stand next to her, his eyes sparkling dangerously. "Do you dare lie to me? You know where she is, Narcissa. I know you've been helping her," he spoke very close to her face.
Narcissa remained still, but Draco could see she was nervous. Lucius was the only one she feared.
"I don't know…" she tried to say, but he gripped her arms and squeezed it until she moaned in pain. Draco stood up instinctively. He didn't know if he should interfere or let his father run the show. Although he hated her, she was still his mother. But didn't she deserve to suffer if she had something to do with Smear's last attack? Didn't she deserve to suffer for everything she had done to Draco in the past? Draco flinched. He didn't know what to do.
"Confess, Narcissa! Do you know where she is?"
She winced. "I do."
"Did you plot with her against Draco?" Lucius gripped her arms tightly and she cried out.
"Y-yes!" she snapped. Lucius let her go as if he was sick of her, and she fell to the floor with her head down and her hands on her face.
"There you go, Draco," Lucius hissed with distaste. "The real criminal mind behind your attack. A woman who thinks that she can act on her own and rely on her crazy sister instead of her husband. What did I tell you before I went to prison, Narcissa? WHAT?"
"That I should stick to house affairs and nothing else," she whispered, humiliated. Her haughtiness was totally gone now. Draco pitied her, but deep down he thought it was well deserved. He hated himself for thinking that way.
"Exactly! What part of it didn't you understand?" Lucius asked angrily.
"But you weren't here! There were urgent matters to be taken care of!" she exclaimed, looking up.
"Oh, and your brilliant mind thought it was clever to go to your son and ask him to come back home, so we could pass on our assets to him in order to fool the Ministry. Our treacherous, double-crossing son! A son who gave his back to us, who joined the Order and is now an Auror! A son who hates us and would be rejoiced to know that we were desperate enough to try to pull out such a childish scheme!" Lucius was fuming. "And if that wasn't enough, you set your sister after him, knowing full well she would kill him for what he did in St. Mungo's."
"She wouldn't! Smear wasn't supposed to kill Draco. He was supposed to kidnap him and bring him to us!" she exclaimed. "Draco deserves to suffer because of what he did to us! All the shame he brought to our family! First sleeping around with men, then selling us out to the Order! Or did you forget that you were arrested thanks to him? You said so yourself! He's treacherous! And now he's with Harry Potter! He was the one who broke the curse that our Lord cast on Potter! He deserved a lesson! I thought that after a while locked up in our dungeons, he would finally realise that he belongs to us! I gave birth to him! I got fat and ugly for nine months! You slept with other women because of that! He's my reward for having to put up with all that hell! His mine!" she shouted out of control. "MINE!"
Draco felt nauseated. He covered his mouth with his hand as if that would help him not to vomit.
"Foolish woman!" Lucius slapped her soundly. "I'm the Master of his house! I'm the one who calls all the shots, Narcissa! Draco is my toy! Mine! I should be the one to teach him a lesson! Not your psycho sister! Not you!"
Draco clenched his fists and bit his lower lip hard. His family was really twisted. Lucius wasn't mad at her because she had dared attack her son, but because Lucius wanted the privilege to do that himself. So in the end, he hadn't been that wrong about Lucius. He did have a reason to fear him. Draco was disgusted with the whole thing. For his parents, he was merely a toy to be played around with at their convenience.
"So what now? Are you going to teach me a lesson, father?" Draco asked grimly.
Lucius turned to him with a frown. "No, Draco. Your mother comes first on my list." Lucius sent her a wicked smile. "She'll help me track down Bellatrix, and then Smear. I'll take care of them for you."
"I don't need you to take care of this for me!" Draco protested.
Lucius shrugged. "Then I'll do it for my own pleasure." He turned to Narcissa again and saw the look of hatred in her eyes. "Don't look at me like that. You knew you'd be punished once I found out what you had been doing in my absence. Know your place, Narcissa, or pay the price. Are you my wife or your sister's ally? Choose carefully, dear."
Narcissa slowly picked herself up from the floor, and then ran her fingers through her hair. Draco found it amazing that she put herself together so fast. Her blue eyes were as cold as ice when she answered unemotionally, "I'm your wife."
"Very well." Lucius smiled, pleased. "See, Draco? That's how you solve family conflicts."
Draco breathed hard. He didn't think he could handle the situation any longer. He needed to get out of there as soon as possible, or else he would lose his mind. He was trembling all over.
"Do you want some tea, my dear?" asked Lucius to Narcissa. She nodded obediently and went to sit erectly on the armchair Draco had occupied just a couple of minutes ago.
"Jesus! You two are really fucked up," Draco muttered, flabbergasted at the way they began to act as if nothing had happened. "So what now, dear father? Are you going to lock me here and make me pay for my sins?" he asked with a sneer.
"Not at the moment, no." Lucius sat on his armchair again and sighed. "I'm very disappointed with you. And I can't say I'm delighted with everything you've done… But you're still my heir."
"I'm disowned! You said so yourself!" Draco exclaimed, losing his patience. "Why don't you both just forget that I exist? Why can't you leave me the hell alone?"
"What would be the fun in that?" Lucius sneered, and so did Narcissa. "You're our precious little boy, Draco. You're still my only child. I need you alive. For now anyway." Lucius filled his teacup with a tap of his wand. "You can go now. I'm glad you've dropped by, son. We should do this again some other time."
Draco stared at his father in disbelief, but knowing full well that when it came to his parents, he could always expect the unexpected. He shook his head exhaustedly, gave his back to them and walked towards the exit of the house. He was too stunned and shocked to even try to understand what had just happened, and he was left wondering what exactly would take place next.
TBC…
A/N: The next update will probably be at the end of September, if not sooner. I hope you have enjoyed this week of releases in celebration of my birthday! Please, review!