Draco's Dilemma
~The Argument~

St first when Draco's vision begun to clear, he found himself physically standing, which made him think that he had sub-consciously one something or had gone somewhere. He knew this was true, that he was standing instead of sitting, due to the fact the sense of feeling had first, making him wonder when he had stopped feeling.

As his version cleared even more, he heard the hall clock outside of this father's study chiming, letting out ten striking bells, which clued him in that a great deal of time had passed since he had supposedly phased to. This also meant that he had happened to have missed dinner, something his father most defiantly would not be pleased about.

Then his vision became clear, and his mind befuddled. There was actual sunlight filtering through the gloom of the house, down the hallway and passing through the window at the end of the hall. There direction of the sunlight also indicated that it was likely sometime in late July, early August, if the striking bells were correct. This indicated some major time difference.

He then glanced around, his mind suddenly springing into panic as he noticed his hand stretched out towards the ornate door knob on the study. Not idle stretched straight out, and not going down. And on top of this, his hand was smaller in size then he knew it should be. This caused him to turn his head to look into his mother's prized mirror.

Only to confirm his fears as he saw himself as his nine year old self, just standing there, staring at the mirror, which meant one of the two things? Either someone like Loony Lovegood had somehow spelled him so he became quite young again and a good deal of time had passed, or time had somehow flowed backwards. Either way, Draco knew that his father would not be pleased.

His head however turned back to the door as he heard mummers coming from inside the room. From the tones in the voice, he could tell that it was his mother and father speaking. He frown deepened, as what the tones also said was that the two had suddenly started arguing, something they never did. And it soon became apparent that it was drastic, as he could for once hear what they were arguing about.

"I want to know why you lied to Lord Voldomort about Potter being dead when he was really alive!" Lucius snapped. Draco could imagine his face contorted with livid anger.

"Lie? How do you know I lied Lucius?" Narcissa Malfoy was just in as bad of a mood as her husband, yet her tone held that she was indeed trying to deceive the man, even Draco could tell from her tone.

"Nobody survives that unforgivable curse!" Lucius snapped again. "This makes what… three times total that Potter boy has survived the curse! I think that this is highly impossible Narcissa!"

"How should I know how he survived!" came her voice as Draco moved from the door and leaned against the wall. "Everyone on his side hasn't got any more of a clue then you or I do Lucius."

"A good deal of them feel that you betrayed us Narcissa!" came his reply. "They feel that you suddenly sides on us. You've been labeled a traitor! Do you think people are easily going to forget about that?!"

"Let them label me that… there are things out there far more important then ones reputation," Narcissa suddenly stated, surprising Draco, who had always thought his mother held the family reputation above anything and everything.

"Name something… name something more important then this family's reputation," came Lucius suddenly snark reply. There was a pause and then he heard his father speak up again. "Why the bloody hell did you stop me for?"

Draco suddenly closed his eyes, gritting his teeth as he did so. His parents had never hit the other as far knew. For his mother to have slapped his father, it meant that he had greatly offended her in some way or another. This meant his mother defiantly did hold in higher esteem, something other then the reputation of the family.

"If you can't… if you can't see, or understood… without the telling you Lucius, something is defiantly the matter with you! Has serving him for so long hardened you this much you can't see what you're own wife is referring too?"

"Of has my wife become as crazy as both of her sisters?!' Lucius snapped, throwing another insult her way. Draco knew that this comment had to sting.

"No… you haven't a clue what I am talking about," came her reply, very curtly. "Has this ideal you have of our reputation effected you so much you haven't taken into consideration the effect it might actually have on our family? For even future generations?"

"First, you tell me it isn't important, now it is?" Lucius laughed.

"What I am talking about is much different from what you're talking about Lucius. How do you think Draco is going to tell his future children about being a death eater?"

"Considering the blow you've played, it's going to be a wonder if the boy is ever going to find a wife! You've coddled him so much; he's become a coddled sissy for crying out loud! He couldn't kill anyone... he's an absolute failure!"

"Lucius…" Narcissa's tone told him that she was quite upset with his father, possibly on the verge of tears "It's your fault that Draco had to become a Death Eater! He was under aged when he joined!"

"My fault…" Lucius stammered out.

"Your fault! If you hadn't been so into supporting someone who cares nothing for us, except for furthering his own goals… and his entertainment… I'm not going to let Draco become a Death Eater again!"

"What exactly are you going too… where exactly are you going?" his father's voice came just as one of the study doors clicked open inwardly and Narcissa stepped out, shutting the door behind her. Draco, from a glance, saw that tears were welling in his mother's eyes, threatening to spill out. He wanted to say something, but nothing could come out.

It was his mother who spoke up first, when she saw him just standing there. "How long… how much… never mind. We'd better be moving along Draco… your father is… I don't know how to put it."

As she guided him away, Draco glanced back just in time to see his father peek out of the doorway at the two of them, then closed the door. Draco's confusion only succeeded in growing.

Author's note – There is chapter two, after months and months of just sitting in one of my notebooks. School was crazy, so I'll update when I can. Also, if it at all seems confusing, read

Finding a Hero, which explains a lot of things.