Author's Note: Heh, whee, more editing. IT'S SNOWING OUTSIDE! WHOO! lol.

Disclaimer I don't own Harry Potter, nor ever will.. :D unless J.K. decides to gimme a xmas present.

As Hermione was inhaling her pot roast, Draco was bored. Draco was bored to tears, or, he would have been, but Malfoys don't cry.

Pity that they couldn't show emotion either, he'd have like to hurl some china at the wall. At least it would have been something to do…

His father had curtly dragged him into the parlor where he had now sat, impatient, for an hour and a half, awaiting his return.

Draco sneered, thinking of Lucius. 'DAMMIT, I'm bored…'

Just as he was about to stroll off, Lucius returned, cold sneer in place, though it couldn't rival Draco's.

"Come boy, and don't slouch so, you embarrassment."

'Embarrassment huh?' thought Draco. 'Oh, I'm the embarrassment, me, whose father would kiss the very shit the Dark Lord lets out...' His arm trembled in anger and disgust.

Though Lucius didn't hear these thoughts, he must have seen something less than respect for him in his son's face.

WHAM.

Draco blinked away the stars from his father's backhand, as Lucius continued his brisk pace down the hallway, to a door Draco recognized as leading out into the very secluded stone patio outside, hidden in the middle of a great circle of gigantic pine trees.

Whatever Lucius wished to discuss, he wanted no one to hear, because pine trees weren't the only thing protecting that patio, and they would have the ultimate security of anywhere in Malfoy Manor.

Pushing on the door disguised as a piece of the bark of one of the trees, indistinguishable from any other tree or spot of bark, Lucius strode onto the patio, his ebony-black robes billowing behind him.

Only a pureblood, or one whom a Malfoy deemed worthy to enter, could. And that was just the tip of it.

Now, Lucius shoved Draco roughly by the shoulder, onto a part of the big stone circle of a bench that surrounded the table.

The blonde-haired man placed himself next to his son, and began to let his eyes bore deep into Draco's. Despite how much it burned, Draco knew he mustn't look away. That would be a sign of cowardice that would only earn him another backhand.

Finally looking away from Draco, Lucius sneered and stated, "Apparently, the Dark Lord thinks better of you than I do." He paused, waiting for a cocky reply.

But Draco stayed silent, and his father continued drawling.

"He believes you will be a useful Death Eater in his ranks, given your young age, blood line, and so forth." Now, even the act of casuality and easy-going ness evaporated.

Glaring at him, Lucius dragged Draco up by his shirt collar and snarled "You'll be becoming a Death Eater soon boy, whether you want to or not." His eyes narrowed. "And I'm sure you do want to, boy." His pale-colored eyes roamed his son's face, searching for an disagreement.

Not finding any, Lucius stalked away from the bench, and over to where the door currently was. In a whirl of robes, he turned and said, "Christmas Break boy, you'll come home like your Mother and I expect you to. And on the night of New Year's Eve, you will be branded with the Dark Mark, and become a servant of the Dark Lord."

He sneered again "I don't know what use you'll be, but so it is.." With his final words said, he grabbed the door handle, and stalked out, leaving Draco with his thoughts.

'Damn. Damn Lucius, damn the Dark Lord, damn the Dark Mark, and damn the little club of Death Eaters.'

He knew his father's word was law, and it would be impossible to go against it. He considered the possibility of going to Dumbledore as soon as he got to Hogwarts the next day, but no. Even if, somehow, Dumbledore could save him from the ordeal on New Year's Eve, and even if they somehow got Lucius carted off to Azkaban, gold would exchange pockets, and Lucius would be right back out again.

'Besides', Draco glumly thought, 'going to Dumbledore would mean going to the oh-so-damn-fucking-wonderful Golden Trio.' That was something his pride refused to let him do.

No. Draco would become a Death Eater on New Year's Eve, and after which he would carry out his initiating tasks, and then continue bidding, and following, the orders of the creep that would bring his life to crappy shambles.

A/N Ok, this chapter was mainly to show the vast difference between the two's lives, and to sort of bring out the most minor of the many themes in this. Heh, 2 chapters in one hour, aren't you proud of me? Lol, review plz! (XD thank God I'm editing, this chapter was horrible.. lol)