WRITTEN FOR THC, YEAR 7
Drabble
Gryffindor, DADA
Word Count: 826/1000
Prompt:
(emotion) joy
(animal) golden retriever
The moment Draco saw the golden retriever in the shop window, he yanked on his mother's hand to look. His heart leapt for joy as he watched the tiny little puppy press his paws against the glass window.
At four years old, Draco knew the perfect ways to manipulate his parents into giving him what he wanted. And he applied a simple technique right then and there.
He began wailing at the top of his lungs, tears streaming down his face in rivulets as he pointed at the excitedly yipping puppy wagging its tail and bouncing on the spot. "Mother, I want that one!"
His mother wasn't happy and tried to get him to walk away from the dog, but Draco threw himself onto the ground and refused to move, flailing his arms as he continued screaming for the puppy.
Embarrassed by his overreaction, his mother reluctantly took him into the Muggle pet shop, her nose scrunched up at the overwhelming scents of mouse urine, smelly fish, and pet food. Draco grimaced as well, but then, he caught sight of the puppy.
And he fell in love.
The puppy jumped and yapped, his tail wagging so fast Draco couldn't even make out its shape. His platinum blond fur coat was beautiful, resembling the child's own light hair. His dark eyes were covered by tufts of blond fur, which made Draco laugh heartily and think that it needed a haircut.
"Mother, I want him!" Draco demanded, rushing over to the puppy and reaching out to pick him up. The puppy squealed and wriggled in his hands, tilting his head up to lick Draco's face repeatedly, his tail still wagging.
His mother was definitely not pleased. But after a long meeting, in which the shop owner explained the do's and don'ts of pet training, diet, hygiene, and care, Draco walked out of the shop with the golden retriever running by his heels, satisfaction settling into his soul.
"What is a mutt doing in our house?" Lucius demanded later that evening when he came downstairs for dinner. He sat in his throne-like chair and glowered at the puppy peeking at him from under the table. "Throw him out!"
Draco immediately scooped the puppy into his arms and beamed up at Lucius. "Father, this is Snitch Wigglebottom Malfoy. Isn't he beautiful? He's got my hair and Mother's eyes! And look, I've been training him. Snitch, say hello to Father!"
To Lucius' horror, the puppy leapt from Draco's arms and onto Lucius' lap. The puppy placed his paws on Lucius' expensive black robes, Snitch tried to claw his way up. Lucius instantly grabbed him by his collar and held him at an arm's length, grimacing at the swaying puppy. "Draco. Throw him out. I will not allow a dog in our household."
Draco's lips trembled and tears pooled in his eyes as he took Snitch from Lucius. His shoulders slumped as he stared down at the overjoyed dog, who wiggled his bottom and stuck his tongue out. Gazing up at Lucius from under his eyelashes, Draco held Snitch out and said, "But, Father, just look at him! Isn't he precious? You can't throw him out… He's a Malfoy now."
There was no way Lucius was sharing his last name with a dog! Lucius gritted his teeth, wondering if he could just kill the puppy and be done with it. Of course, Draco would be disappointed and hurt by his actions, but it would be for the best. Malfoys didn't own dogs! They had majestic white peacocks and eagles the size of Hippogriffs.
But then, to his disbelief, the damned puppy cocked his head to the side, widened his eyes and jutted his lower lip out—in an exact replica of his son's pout! Lucius shot Draco a glare, but the child simply continued to stare at him with his lower lip protruding.
Lucius had never liked dogs ever since a stray mongrel had bitten him when he'd tried to pet it. Although he didn't like the golden retriever his son had taken a liking to, Lucius knew he couldn't take it away. Draco would never forgive him.
With a heavy heart, he said, "Fine, but the mutt's your responsibility. You have to keep him out of my hair. I don't want to see him running around the house and breaking things."
Draco let out a loud squeal that almost pierced Lucius' eardrums. The dog threw his head back and howled in the same ear-splitting pitch. Draco's joy was evident in the beaming grin on his face.
"Thank you, Father. The shopman said that Snitch needs to stay with his pack—that's us. But I'll keep him out of your long hair. He won't climb inside it when he's got a beautiful bed of his own."
Before Lucius could explain that wasn't exactly what he meant, Draco ran out of the room, followed by the joyfully barking dog. What have I got myself into?
