Chapter 2

Draco gazed down at his father's shocked expression with a blank face as he held Lucius motionless on the floor, waiting for him to speak. Lucius was fighting to regain his composure and to process the fact that his son had disarmed and immobilized him without a wand and that he could probably be killed by a twitch of his own son's hand. Draco saw the turmoil in his father's mind and almost smiled. Almost, if it had not been so vital to his plan that he kept his face expressionless.

Lucius chuckled nervously. "Draco. Son. You can't be serious. You-you wouldn't hurt your own father."

Draco was becoming frustrated with Lucius, but he didn't show it. "Obviously, Lucius, you were not listening very well when you were still in a position to make the choice. I said that, as far as I am concerned, I am not, nor have I ever been, your son. Therefore, I do not consider you my father. You are merely a man who stands between me and my freedom. Release me from these grounds or else I shall release myself by relieving you of your life."

Lucius' eyes grew wide. He was truly afraid of this boy who would kill him without remorse. He was so afraid, in fact, that he could not believe it. He grinned shakily. "Draco, let me up. Stop playing around, child. You don't mean what you say, you couldn't kill me." Just then, a bloodcurdling scream of pain ripped from Lucius' lips. Draco had just broken his leg and broken through the skin. There was now a bloody stick of bone protruding from Lucius' thigh. Draco had twitched his wrist.

"Oh, couldn't I?" Draco looked down at this injured, bleeding, immobile Death Eater. "Lucius Malfoy, you shame yourself. I should have believed that you could take threats seriously. But obviously not from anyone but your master." Draco looked at his father, expressionless as ever. He didn't even feel the least bit sorry for this sad pile of flesh on the ground in front of him. Lucius became paler every second from loss of blood. "Come now, Lucius. Isn't your life worth more to you than having the boy you call your son bound to this house? You will die from blood loss rather quickly, so I shall be free one way or the other." For the first time, Draco's face assumed an expression: a smirk. He chuckled lightly, a threatening sound to Lucius' ears, Draco knew.

Lucius gasped for air. He knew he was dying, and it was his own son that had done this to him. "Okay, Draco. You win. Give me my wand, and I shall free you from the house."

Draco stopped the hand holding the wand just outside of his father's reach, and spoke threateningly and quietly to him. "You understand that, if you do not free me from these magical bonds, I shall kill you on the spot. I know the incantation, so do not do anything else."

Lucius nodded. He understood, and he would not underestimate his son again. He took the wand and muttered "Bondus relecus."

Golden shackles appeared around Draco's wrists, the chain of light broke, and the shackles disappeared. Draco nodded at his father, retrieved his wand, healed Lucius and walked out of Malfoy Manor forever.

Draco breathed a contented sigh. Free from home at last. I am free. For the first time in my life, I am freethought Draco. Now the only thing to do was to find a place to stay for the remainder of the week. As Draco wandered along the crowded London street, he was glad he'd thought to get some Muggle clothes. Well-made ones, of course.

Draco had found a store that suited his tastes and mood. Hot Topic, he believed was the name. He hadn't kept the bag for any longer than to find a place to change. He'd kept his cloak; it seemed to go well with his new clothes.

People seemed to look longer at him than they usually would on a street like this, especially the teenage girls. He'd thought to pick up a pair of dark sunglasses along with the clothes. He thought they completed his new look. Nodding at a group of girls who were smiling and waving at him, he quickly turned his head and swept down the dark alleyway he knew would take him safely into Knockturn Alley.

The shady corridor took him into a rather dark and dank pub at the south end of Knockturn Alley: The Severed Hand. Draco walked fluidly up to the bartender and gazed at the old man steadily through his glasses. The old bartender felt the gaze of this young wizard disconcerting, considering that his eyes were not visible.

"Whaddaya want?" the old man croaked violently.

Draco said in his icy, fluid drawl, "I want you to close the doorway to Malfoy Manor." He paused as the old man gaped at him. "Permanently."

"You- I- That can't be done!" the bartender stammered. "Who are you?!" His voice was high and full of panic.

"I am Draco. My former surname was Malfoy, but I do not belong to that family any longer." Sliding his glasses down the bridge of his nose, he looked pointedly at the old man. "By my own choice, of course, dear man."

The bartender drew himself up as high as he could stand. "Only a member of the family in question can order me to do that." He declared proudly.

"Fine." Draco replied. "Then I shall have to do it myself, and so I shall."

"NO! WAIT!" the old man cried after Draco as he swept down a badly-lit corridor. Draco did not slow his pace, but continued briskly and gracefully on his way.

"HALT!" a deeper and more authoritative voice called, and Draco, taken aback by the commanding male voice, stopped and turned, graceful as ever. So graceful, in fact, that he looked as though he'd been expecting the call. He smirked when he saw the tall, dark-skinned man holding his wand at Draco's head.

"My dear man, Artimedoris Colfer! Am I glad to see you!" Draco laughed. "Put down your wand, you crazy man!"

Artimedoris looked stunned. "Draco? Little Dragon, is that you?!" The great black man laughed heartily. "Come here, you little dagger!"

Draco laughed as he ran to the man who was like a true father to him. After a rib-crushing hug from Artimedoris, the tall black man held Draco by his shoulders at arm's length. "I heard about what you did to your father at the Manor, Draco," he said seriously. Draco tried to turn away, but Artimedoris' strong grip held him in place. "That was not a good idea. You know his wrath, he'll be on your heels like a pack of wolves."

"Art, that man is too afraid of me to do anything to me. He'll leave me alone. He doesn't want what I would do to him to happen." Draco's face was expressionless again, but there was a glimmer of the will to kill in his eyes. Artimedoris saw it. "I won't bargain his life again. He is no longer my father. I have no father anymore." Draco looked away from the big African man who held his shoulders.

There was concern on Artimedoris' face, and Draco couldn't bear to look at him. He felt as though he were going to cry if he did. Artimedoris pulled Draco closer into a big bear hug. Draco's eyes squeezed out the gathering moisture, and he cried into Artimedoris' robes, letting out his pain and anger as he would not with anyone else.

"Come on, Draco. You'll always have a home with me." Artimedoris started to lead Draco on with him, but Draco wouldn't move.

"No, Art. You're like a father to me, but I couldn't stay with you. I couldn't retain my freedom and independence if I did. If you want to give me somewhere to stay, put me up somewhere in an alley." Draco was obstinate, and no amount of pleading could change his mind.

Artimedoris sighed, and his shoulders sagged. "Very well, Draco. You win. I'm not going to fight this battle anymore with you. I'll put you in a room at The Leaky Cauldron. I don't trust this place. Come."

Draco nodded, following Artimedoris. It struck him how very much like a good father Artimedoris was to him. Draco gave a small smile at the thought. Maybe, if I ever have the inclination to try having a father again, I'll move in with Artimedoris. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. If I ever have that inclination again.