A Son's despair

Arthur had already begun escorting the others out of the courtroom.

Harry watched, as the world around him became a haze. He turned back, and the wave of euphoria that he was feeling quickly dissolved when he saw Draco's reaction. All Harry could see was pain. Narcissa had collapsed in grief, her minders surrounding her, holding her back. He saw Draco let go of the cage, as two huge guards grabbed him from behind. He writhed and screamed, his face a mask of despair and blind rage.

" NOOO!" he was screaming and flailing out his limbs, kicking and punching at his guards. "IM GONNA KILL YOU POTTER! IM GONNA KILL YOU!" his anger was now directed at Harry, who just stood there in silence.

Harry could not help wondering how he would feel if it was James in that cage, being sentenced to a life in hell, and it was Draco that did it. He would want his revenge.

"I HATE YOU!" Draco raged. Snape, who had been loitering outside, charged past Harry and headed straight for Malfoy. On seeing his teacher, Malfoy started to give up the fight, letting his body go limp in the hands of his captors, but not taking his eyes from Harry. Snape waved off the guards, who released their grip and took a step back.

Harry faced the other way, and he saw his friends hugging each other, their faces a mixture of joy and tears. For them, another dangerous death eater had been put away. Sirius' death had not been in vain. That was all that mattered. Harry smiled, and walked away. He did not look back again.

Draco saw Harry turn and walk away. His anger melted away, and only sorrow remained. His tears had soaked his robes, his long, white hair had broken free of the ponytail, and strands of it were sticking to the damp skin on his face. He was snivelling uncontrollably, and his throat, coarse and dry from the shouting, felt like someone had rammed barbed wire into it.

Snape put a solid arm around the boy, who was nearly as tall as he was, and squeezed him. Draco admired Snape almost as much as his own father. He knew Snape and his father were close, although Snape would never have breathed a word about friendship with a Malfoy to anyone. Before Draco realised what he was doing he was hugging Snape. Unsure how to react, Snape put his hands on Draco's back and patted him in a fatherly manner. Then removed a handkerchief from his cuff. He prised Dracos fingers from his robes and handed it to him.

"He's really gone!" Draco whimpered, "I'll never see him again!"

Snape grabbed his shoulder and lead him toward the door. "I'm sure you will!" he lied.

He could not bring himself to tell Draco the truth. After the escape of Barty Crouch, and the dementors betrayal, Azkeban had a strict 'no visitors' policy. Since the escape of the Deatheater's earlier, Guards and Aurors surrounding the prison had tripled, and now since one of the deadliest Death-eaters ever had just been sentenced, it was highly likely it would double again. In Snape's mind, Lucius was a dead man.

Narcissa was carried away by some officials, who wanted to brief her on what was to happen to them next. As the sole Malfoy heir, the estate was to be given to Draco until his father's release, that is, if age hadn't killed him already.

Marcus Heath had already packed his papers into his satchel and had stormed out. Draco decided that he should go home before his mother and pack up all his father's personal belongings. It would ease her pain if she didn't have to do it, he thought.

A guard approached as Draco and Snape reached the lobby. He handed Draco a box of his father's possessions that had been collected at his capture. Except one thing.

"Where is my Father's cane? His wand? It has a snake head on it." Draco asked pathetically.

"There are rules. Strictly no wands inside or near the courtroom or cell block. Also, the wand was evidence from the scene of the crime. We have it stored in the department of dark and dangerous artefacts. Nothing leaves that room once it has been reported. I'm sorry Mr. Malfoy I really am." With that, the guard turned and strolled out. Snape was distracted momentarily by a witch from the ministry, enquiring about the boy and how he was taking it.

Draco was left alone clutching the box for dear life as he walked half dazed, toward the exit. Snape quickly came to his senses, but it was too late.

"Draco! Not that way!" He called as Draco opened the door, letting a strong breeze fill the lobby. With it came the echo of babbling reporters outside, all pushed shoved, hollering questions at the younger Malfoy. Draco, lost his balance and fell to his knees, showering the contents of the box all over the stone steps of the courthouse.

Draco franticly tried to pick it all up before the babbling photographers and reporters made a start for some of the stuff. He quickly stuffed the clothes back in the box, but as he did so- his father's snake broach fell from the collar and rolled away from him. Draco reached for it, arms outstretched but it disappeared in the forest of moving legs, only to be picked up by someone he hoped would not be there.

"My My!" Rita Skeeter exclaimed "What a beautiful broach!" She looked at Draco and smiled her trademark sneer.

"Give it back!" Malfoy demanded reaching for it, but she quickly whipped her hand away.

"There, there, I'm only looking!" she said innocently, the smile not fading from her pointed face.

Draco got off his knees and stood up to his full height. At just fifteen, he was over 6ft in height, and towered over the woman's 5 foot 3 inch frame. Ignoring the bustling crowd flashing their cameras, Draco sneered back at Rita with the same wild look he flashed Harry in the courthouse. "I said give it back! NOW!" he grabbed her wrist and prised the broach from her fingers. The reporters were lapping it up, taking photo's of the struggle.

"Draco" Snape came running through the doors "Come inside now!" he forced a pathway through the crowd and grabbed Draco's robes, dragging him away from the idiotic journalists.

"That's another murdering bastard behind bars!" One such idiot shouted to his friend. Thinking that Draco was too far to hear. He had hardly any time to think before a clenched fist pounded against his face- breaking his nose.