Two of a Kind

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters therein. We do, however, own Persiopeia Black and all other original characters created for this story.

Chapter 4: Draco Speaks

Draco's pov

I couldn't believe the owl I received from my mother. She never sent me anything of her own accord, not once in all my years at Hogwart's. My father never let her, said she'd fuck it up like she always did, like she did when he allowed her to rear me. I had only been ten when he took over 'parenting' me, as he called it.

He beat me any time I disagreed, and looked at him cross-eyed… Anything was an excuse to beat discipline into me. But this time, he went too far: he engaged me to Pansy Parkinson, the most unattractive, insipid, untalented witch a pureblooded family had ever produced. The only reason she got to hang around me at school was because she was an easy lay; I found that out from Blaise Zabini, the arrogant prick. He had gotten her tipsy during her first trip to Diagon Alley; at twelve years old, she was old when she first entered Hogwart's. In Diagon Alley, she had been celebrating her earlier birthday when she encountered Zabini, who mixed firewhiskey into her butterbeer. In her resulting drunken stupor, Zabini took her to a room above one of the shops and had raped her, basically.

The only person who didn't see it as rape was Pansy herself. She'd always been full of herself, and she thought she was the hottest thing when she realized who had taken her virginity. She still follows Zabini in hopes of a real relationship; everyone else sees it as the joke it is: Zabini sleeps with her when he can't get anyone else, and tells her she needs more experience before he'll settle down with her. So she'll sleep with almost anyone, so long as he is a pureblood. Crabbe and Goyle alerted it to me once after a failed attempt to have a 'relationship' with an older, somewhat simple Hufflepuff who had been rather unpopular. She had seen right through me, though, and I ended up giving it up to Pansy Parkinson.

She followed me around incessantly as well; when one can't find Pansy trying to cozy up to Zabini, she's lying in wait for me. I thought I'd be in the clear when I heard that Zabini might've screwed up a contraception charm. Then I got an owl from my mother.

Once I got the owl, I packed a bag and went straight home. My father was waiting for me outside the fireplace when I got home.

Before I could even say hello, my father sandbagged me with a right hook. As I tried to get up, he kicked my nose back into my face. He would have continued his assault on my face had my mother not shown up when she did.

"Lucius," my mother had whispered.

"Not now, Narcissa, dear. I'm busy fixing what you did to my son," my father said harshly, turning back to me to continue the pain.

"My darling Draco… Your face," my mother's eyes filled with tears as she raced across the large room, her arms reaching out to me. My father stopped attacking my face as my mother reached us. I was cringing; I knew my nose was broken.

"You're right, love. Don't want to screw up our negotiations with an ugly face," my father started to aim for my stomach. My mother cried out as my father kept kicking me. I spat up blood, and I knew that if he didn't stop soon, I'd pass out.

"Let me heal him!" My mother shouted at my father, the most forceful I'd ever heard her. Without waiting for his consent, my mother pulled her wand out and healed most of my facial injuries, at least my broken nose and cuts, if not the circles ringing my eyes.

"No!" my father lashed out at my mother then, kicking her legs out from under her, and delivering a sharp blow to her back as she fell. She was out cold when she hit the ground. I crawled over to her, trying to shield her from his attacks before I finally passed out.

When I woke, I was still on the floor in front of the fireplace. I could tell by the light that I had been out all night. It was early morning, and I alone was on the floor. My mother had been removed to her rooms, but my father and his latest conquest, a maid who'd certainly not been of age when she came to the household, were waiting my awakening.

"You got Pansy Parkinson pregnant. You will be marrying her. We received an owl from her family demanding a match yesterday morning. We had been ready to negotiate with the Blacks for their daughter, Persiopeia, but you've certainly fucked that up. We leave for their manor in twenty minutes. Wash up, drag your mother into something presentable, and be back here in twenty minutes, or else," my father left the threat hanging in the air as he settled the terrified maid in his lap. She was a squib, born to a magical family, probably a pureblooded one, but without magic herself. They had sold her to my father as a maid, but we had house-elves. Everyone knew that the oldest families did things like this, but my father was one of the basest practitioners: he bought the girls, used them up, beat them, then cast memory charms on them and dumped them in muggle towns and villages, with nothing to help them, not even enough knowledge to survive for very long without resorting to the same derogative lifestyle they had lived in at this manor. Needless to say, I couldn't prove this to anyone.

I rose and sought out my mother, who had by then awakened and was cradling her stomach. She looked at me and smiled weakly. I crossed the room to check on her, but she waved me off. "Draco, you must get ready to leave. I don't want to know what your father will do if we are late. Put on your nicest robes and wash your face. My charm seems to have helped. I'll meet you and your father at the fireplace shortly. And Draco? Please eat something. You look terrible."

I just stared at my mother. Every time my father beat one or both of us, she'd rally, then he'd beat her and she'd let it pass. But this time, she admitted that it would be worse if we upset him. I left her rooms to find mine and get dressed. I threw on my game-day robes, which were the nicest ones I owned outside of my dress robes. I stopped by the kitchen on my way back to the fireplace and grabbed some toast.

Big mistake. My stomach hadn't recovered from the beating, and I almost ended up wearing the toast. Disgusted, I tossed it and headed to meet my parents for the disastrous meeting. Before I entered the fireplace to use the Floo Network, I tried to explain to my father about Pansy.

"I slept with her once, during my third year. I haven't touched that bint since then, I swear it. If she's pregnant, it's Zabini's, or Crabbe's, or any other male within Hogwart's and Hogsmeade. But it's NOT MINE!" I tried to reason with my father. I received a swift kick to my upper leg for my troubles; my father must want some sort of grandchild later on, because my groin was mostly spared.

He grabbed me by the collar and dragged me into the fireplace, screaming "Black Manor!"

I was lucky; Persiopeia wasn't there when we arrived. I would at least be spared having to confront her with the farce of me having a 'blessed event' with Pansy Parkinson. My parents and I were escorted into a large parlor and seated by a frumpy old house-elf. Persiopeia Black's parents were waiting for us.

"Ah, Necromana, Titus, how wonderful to see you," my father said with a fake smile. Not to be outdone, Titus Black said something just as un-witty as my father, and both women were left in a state of quiet tension, a sure sign that my father is not the only one who beats submission into his family. Necromana, his wife, greeted my mother quietly, then turned and bowed to my father and me, not saying anything at all to either of us. That earned her a dirty look from her husband, and as I sat, my stomach roiled at how pathetic both women were: neither one seemed like she would ever stand up for herself against her husband.

Then, Persiopeia showed up.

I'll never forget how she looked when she arrived. She was flustered and her robes were askew, showing off that, like Pansy, she'd grown up. She was not slender, not one bit, but she was… perfect. Curves in all the right places and I knew from the guys that she'd never been tasted. Suddenly, I knew that I was going to embarrass myself, so I turned my gaze from her body and stared at the floor.

'I hate her! She's my greatest rival. And I'm to marry Pansy. It is just hormones,' I thought to myself as I fought to gain control over my body.

"Mum, Father, I can explain. I was busy with classes, and I figured you'd guess that Draco was—" Persiopeia was cut off by her father before I could get the rest of what she was saying about me.

"No need to lie to us, Persiopeia, dear. We have invited Draco and his parents here in hopes of arranging a match between the two of you. So sit down and look pretty," her father said in a sickly sweet tone. I recognized that tone, and it scared me.

'What is going on here? He doesn't—" my thoughts were cut off abruptly when I caught the rest of what Titus said to his daughter.

"At least try to look pretty… Have you put on even more weight since the term began? Here's a clue: put the fork down!" he hissed at her, and I saw tears form in Pia's eyes before they hardened as she looked at me. As she sat, I saw her father pinch her breast and I started out of my seat before I could stop myself. I caught myself before anyone noticed.

'I'll kill him myself; he has no right to touch Pia like that' the thought came unbidden. I closed my eyes and told myself that I was upset because I saw the same things that happened to me happening to someone who obviously couldn't protect herself. 'Then why call her Pia all the time?'

My mother filled the silence by telling them about the match that had been arranged for me. Necromana Black fought back a cry. Pia caught my eye, then cast her gaze to the floor.

Titus Black had the audacity to speak. "Well, then, at least we can be the first to offer our congratulations. Well, I guess you've let another opportunity slip straight through your fingers, Persy," he said viciously, completely not affected by the fact that my family was still there. He obviously took delight in hurting her, and it disgusted me.

I tried to catch Pia's attention, to let her know that she wasn't alone. I don't know if she saw it, but I tried to nod in sympathy. My face hurt so much at that point, I can't tell if I managed it. My parents and I got up to leave, but as we reached the door to the hall, Necromana said something quietly.

"Umm, Narcissa," she began, before she was cut off by Titus.

"What do you want to know?" he said cruelly, as if she had no right to breathe without his express permission.

She continued in a slightly stronger voice at a nod from my mother. "Who are you betrothing Draco to?"

"Pansy Parkinson."

Then Pia started to laugh at me! Not giggling, or a chuckle, but a full-on belly laugh that I recognized from our rivalry in Defense Against the Dark Arts – the laugh she'd let out whenever she was most amused or happy. From the look on her parents' faces, she obviously didn't use it much at home. My parents and I were in the hall as she laughed. They continued on, but I knew something bad was going to happen, so I stopped and looked back in on her.

As I turned to see Pia once more before I left, her father cracked her across the mouth, so hard her head snapped back. I knew I couldn't do anything for her, so I headed for the fireplace we had come from. Something stopped me from leaving with my parents. I stepped back from the fireplace, saying I'd go back to the school from the Black Manor. I waited till they were gone, then I stupidly waited to see if Pia would come find me.

Before I could go find her, I saw Titus Black drag his daughter from the parlor by her arm. When he reached a fireplace, he let go of her arm and grabbed her by her bright red, Weasley-ish hair.

"Shut your mouth, you insolent, uncouth little wench! Do you know what you have lost by losing the Malfoy match? And to Pansy Parkinson, of all people! Get out of my house! Get out now! An owl will be sent if and when we decide to let you return home!" he threw her into the fireplace so hard I could her the CRACK as she collided with its back wall. "Hogwart's!" he roared. Pia flashed in the green light and vanished back to the school.

I stepped into the fireplace and left for the school in hopes of finding out what the hell was going on. When I arrived, things were in a shambles: Pansy Parkinson was busily entertaining younger students and anyone who would listen about our 'engagement', and Pia was on the warpath. I never did hear what exactly Pansy said, but I sure did hear Pia.

"Sod off, you little bitch! Like your family could manage to match you to any boy with working eyes, let alone with connections and hereditary lands. And you, honorable? Let's ask Crabbe and Goyle and Zabini how honorable you are after a roll in the hay behind Hagrid's hovel. I think its more likely you've got Draco's bun in your oven than your family is trying to help anyone else! And what do you mean by 'the honorable Blacks' – you referring to my uncle? Or me?" Pia was fuming, her breasts heaving in her exertion. She huffed off towards her dormitory, muttering to herself, leaving Pansy red-faced and speechless.

"Anyone who can leave Pansy speechless is worth my consideration," I whispered to myself as I headed from the corner I was occupying to the prefects' dormitories. I needed to talk to Pia, and for some reason, I needed her to know that I didn't get Pansy pregnant.