Title: A Battle Worth Fighting
Characters/Pairings: Narcissa Malfoy
Forum/Challenge: QFLC Round 13 (Ballycastle Bats, Beater 2)
Prompt: Write about a character fighting for their family.
Opt-Prompts: (setting) Durmstrang, (word) royalty
World: Hogwarts-era AU
Word Count: 1,449
In retrospect, it hadn't been a battle worth fighting.
She'd mourned that he lovely little boy would never wear Slytherin green and silver, but Lucius had put his foot down and in the end Draco had matriculated to Durmstrang instead of his parents' alma mater.
But Narcissa Malfoy always looked at the long game, and though she'd lost the battle she thought there was still hope of winning the war. Which is why when Draco wrote to invite his parents to the Annual Dueling Classic at Durmstrang, where he was a sixth year, she instructed Lucius to send their enthusiastic acceptance.
"I'd like to see the school my son attends," she answered blithely, when her husband tried to talk her out of the trip. "You never once called in that favor with Igor that you promised so I could visit the school, and then the fool went and got himself killed. I want to see my son, Lucius, and you will not stop me."
She channeled her late, insane sister-recently sent through the Veil courtesy of their cousin Sirius-and stared long at Lucius. A flicker of anger flitted across his blue eyes, but then he offered her a small smile.
"Of course, dear. I'll let the Dark Lord know I'll be away for the week."
She pursed her lips, hearing the threat hidden in his placating words. She would be the scapegoat for his absence and, if it proved to be a hardship for their recently-resurrected leader, she would bear the accompanying punishment.
Another small battle, another strategic surrender, to keep her sweet little boy safe from harm.
She should have been accustomed to underwater views-the Slytherin dorms had lovely views of the Black Lake-but an entire school underwater in what amounted to a giant, permanent Bubblehead charm was disconcerting.
When she said as much to Draco, her sixteen-year-old son shrugged in the most teenage of responses. "It seemed really cool first year, but I'm used to it now. The worst part is scheduling portkeys to the surface for Quidditch practice."
Narcissa had to admit Durmstrang had done wonders for her son's sense of entitlement; no one at the Balkan school cared that his family was practically British wizarding royalty, and he had no godfather teaching classes or father on the Board of Governors to cater to his every whim. Each time she saw him, Narcissa thought her little baby boy was less a child and more a man.
She was both proud and horrified.
Especially now that the Dark Lord had returned and already expressed interest in having Draco take Lucius's place with the newest generation of Death Eaters: a leader, a strategist, and a financier.
That Durmstrang excelled in teaching Dark Arts, and that he sat at the top of his class, made Draco all the more enticing a conquest.
Narcissa tried not to think about the similarities between her husband and son as she watched him throw curse after curse at his opponent on the dueling platform. She and Lucius sat with the other visiting parents in a special section of the 'outdoor' stadium. She avoided looking up as much as possible; the glare of the sunlight in the water contrasted against the bloodthirsty mermen who had come to watch the wizards try to kill each other.
Their sharp teeth and vicious grins didn't sit well with the prim British witch.
After Draco advanced to the finals, she and Lucius fielded half-hearted but spectacularly polite congratulations from other parents and Durmstrang alumni.
"Quite the boy there, Lucius," clapped Dmitri Dolohov, a distant cousin of Antonin. Dmitri, Narcissa noted, was both more well-kept and infinitely more sane, even before Antonin had spent a decade in Azkaban. "He'll be a good addition to the war effort on your little island."
Dmitri's voice lowered. "And when the Dark Lord makes for the continent, perhaps we will share a victory drink in the halls of Durmstrang as well, eh?"
Narcissa suppressed the shiver she felt as she remembered the violence of the first war, the bodies of Muggles littering Death Eater revels. After one particularly violent evening, Lucius, drunk with power and madness, had come to bed without washing.
She'd instructed the house elves to burn the sheets the next day.
She followed the men, who were speaking in low voices, as they walked to congratulate Draco. Glancing around, she wondered if Draco had ever had any hope of staying out of the war. Almost 3,000 kilometers away, and with Karkaroff dead and gone, Draco was still surrounded by Death Eaters and sympathizers.
She didn't care about embarrassing his son as she hugged him too tight and just a little too long. Too soon, she feared, she wouldn't be able to hold him at all.
Too soon, she feared, he might be dead like her fanatical sister.
"Your son is very talented," said the short, brusque man who had introduced himself as Draco's Dark Arts instructor. "He has a sharp mind and is quick with a wand. It is rare to find a wizard with both."
She smiled genuinely at the praise. "We are very proud of him." She turned to gesture to her husband, but Lucius had been pulled by Dmitri toward a group of men she assumed were members of their same 'political' group. She turned back to the man, her smile becoming apologetic. "How long have you been teaching at Durmstrang?"
"What feels like forever," said the man, laughing. "I have seen many young wizards come through these halls, but your son is quite special."
"I have said so for years," Narcissa agreed, pride beaming in her grey eyes.
"Have you all discussed his future beyond Durmstrang?" asked the man, turning her away from the crowd so they could hear each other better.
Her heart skipped a beat. How much could she tell this man? "He has not indicated a particular field of interest to us, though I believe his father would like him to return to Britain and settle there."
The man clucked. "Pity, that. If he were willing to stay abroad longer, I would suggest sending him farther east to continue his studies in dueling. My master at Mahoutokro has expressed interest in meeting him and taking him on as a pupil."
"Japan?" asked Narcissa, both shocked and slightly hopeful.
He nodded. "It is far, but inside of four years he would be qualified for Hit Wizard work with the ICW, at the very least."
And, thought Narcissa, he would be far, far away from the Dark Lord. Far, far away from the fighting that took Bellatrix and even now threatened her and her husband.
Far, far away from that horrifically macabre Dark Mark.
"My sincerest apologies. I don't think I caught your name, Professor…?"
"Dearborn. But you, Madam Malfoy, can call me Doc."
She smiled at the man's familiarity. Normally when men took liberties with her, they were leering and lewd. Doc was neither of those things; instead, he seemed to treat her as though they were old friends. He continued speaking, as though the offered familiarity were par for the course rather than a sign of intimacy and confidence.
"Draco has expressed a keen interest in studying with Master Li and has already begun a correspondence with him." Doc paused for a moment, seeming to consider his thoughts before speaking. "He has also expressed some anxiety about returning to Britain, given the current hostilities."
She glanced back at her husband, who had fought so hard to send Draco to Durmstrang. Her husband who, the next day, would clap their son on the back and congratulate his win in the final duel of the tournament. Her husband, who had said no to her once, years ago, promising that Durmstrang would teach their son to be a man.
And then she saw the young man standing beside Lucius, flushed with pride in his win. She noticed how he did not defer to his father, nor did he look for validation.
He stood on his own.
Perhaps sending Draco to Durmstrang had not been a complete loss. Yes, she'd been separated from him, but he'd also been separated from his father.
And somewhere in the last six years, her son had become a man.
She turned back to Doc and smiled slyly at her newfound ally. "It would be a hardship to lose Draco's companionship, but I would never come between my son and his dreams. Tell me more about Master Li and the program at Mahoutokoro."
Perhaps she had one more battle left in her. And she would defy both her husband and the Dark Lord to keep her Draco safe.