DISCLAIMER: J. K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and all other characters and locations.
Chapter 3 – The Gift
Draco Malfoy stood in front of a full-length mirror. Dressed elegantly in black and silver, he was the picture of perfection or so the talking mirror had informed him. That was expected of all Malfoys, perfection. One was expected to look and act their best at all times; paying close attention to the image they projected to society.
Turning from his image he paced slowly to the large window, which allowed moonlight to spill into the massive room. The king size bed was swathed in green and black silks and acted as the focal point of the room. It was a Malfoy family heirloom; one of many that adorned his room. His room was empty of almost all traces of life, lacking the junk and knick-knacks one would usually find in the room of a normal teenager. This was just another part of being a Malfoy. The spotlessness and perfection of the room would represent a well disciplined and trained child, many people looked at Draco and saw this image; the one they were expected to see. His greatest joy in life was the connecting bathroom. Turned out in black marble, traced with emerald lines, it was the one room in the house he was able to find any peace in when he was home.
A sharp crack had him whirling about, sending his robes hissing out behind him in a graceful maneuver that had taken years to perfect. His wand slid into his hand with a light twist of the wrist, resting lightly in his palm and giving him the knowledge that he had the means to protect himself if the need should arise. A small house elf dressed in a dirty pillowcase cowered at the sight and began to stutter out its message until Draco snapped at her about her presence within his rooms.
"Bifty is sorry Master, Bifty is to inform the young master that he is to meet his father in the Red Room in fifteen minutes." Grimacing in disgust, he slid his wand away and headed towards the door of his chamber.
"Well?" He snarled at the house elf still standing in the center of the room, curling his lip in true Malfoy fashion. Bifty gave a yelp and bowed before vanishing into thin air. He quickly departed his chambers, the sprawling manor was impossible to cross in fifteen minutes and he would most likely be late if he didn't hurry.
Hermione sighed and turned from the window, looking at Ron who was staring into thin air with a glazed look in his eyes.
"Ron?" She called softly, however upon receiving no response she changed tactics, "Ronald!"
"What!" Ron shrieked, leaping up and grabbing for his wand, tripping himself in the process.
"I'm worried. Harry hasn't responded to the last letter you sent. Perhaps something has happened to him." Turning back to the window, she peered out into darkness but relaxed into the embrace of Ron, resting her head on his shoulder as the two of them held a silent watch in the darkness of the night.
"Don't worry 'Mione, Harry can protect himself." The moon sat solemnly in the sky, holding its own quiet vigil of the night.
Draco entered the Red room a few minutes before his father and gracefully perched himself on the edge of a wing backed chair. Knowing his father as he did, he assumed he would be late so as to make a more dramatic entrance. Lucius Malfoy entered the room in a sweep of black cloth. Gliding back and forth in front of his son, he continued to ignore Draco while he gathered his thoughts.
"As you know, at times like these, we need to be as strong as possible. To maintain strength and a constant source of raw magic it is best to take a familiar. I have discussed this with several others who have all agreed that it is impertinent that we gain familiars. Not just any familiars though. They must be the strongest that money can buy." Draco bit his tongue at his father's statement. Slowly he turned to the massive black cloth that was draped dramatically over a large object. He hated his father's surprises, they usually turned out very bloody and he did hate getting dirty. From there, his gaze moved to the mass of grey fur that was chained to a wall nearby. Simply named Steele, the Timber Wolf was his fathers familiar.
Draco didn't want a familiar; he had seen some of the most proud animals brought low from being constantly drained of their magical life force. Many familiars were driven mad slowly due to the amount of magic that they were forced to hold within their bodies. The familiar's wizard or witch could pull upon this magic at any time. During battle it had become most common to take your animal to war with you, having not only an extra source of magic but also an animal that will die for you without a thought. However many familiars were lost when a wizard pulled upon the magic to hard, ripping it from the animals body rather then siphoning through the bond.
"I have decided it would be best if you took a familiar. When the time comes, you will need all the power you can manage. The binding ceremony shall take place tomorrow evening; from there it would be in your best interest to gain as much control over your familiar as I have over my own." This said, Lucius snapped his fingers quickly summoning several house elves. A small wand movement conjured a comfortable chair while another released Steele, who immediately moved to his master's side and sat down obediently. A final gesture had the house elves tugging the cloth off the object it hid.
The soft swish of fabric stopped, leaving the room in silence. Everyone peered at the contents of the cage. Waving his hand Lucius dismissed the house elves before turning to glance at his son. Observing the stunned look on Draco's face, he smirked and returned his gaze to the contents of the cage.
"Well?" He questioned, continuing to stare into the gleaming emeralds that blazed in fury.
"Thank you Father. He's magnificent but I don't believe Dumbledore is going to allow me to bring a full grown panther with me to school." Murmured Draco, peering into the cage at the very pissed off panther. Rising gracefully from the chair, Lucius chuckled as he excited the room, Steele following loyally behind.
"Dumbledore has already agreed to it, the old fool. He believes it will help several of the students achieve a greater understanding of responsibility." With that said, he vanished leaving Draco alone in the room with his soon to be familiar.
Thanks for reading. Any name suggestions would still be welcomed.