Before I begin- thank you SO much for your kind comments, Canadianchibivampyre and ChukFolchart. I'm like an overeager puppy. Comments are the proverbial doggie treats that give me the motivation to write.
Try as he might (and, admittedly, he did not try very hard), Draco found his mind wandering as the muggle, Higgins, or Fibbins, or something of the sort, rambled on about William McKinley, something called "football" and Draco's class schedule. Inspecting his immaculate fingernails, Draco found himself once again rehashing the events that had landed him in his current situation.
"Draco."
His mother's voice was quivering, whether from fear or excitement, Draco couldn't tell.
"Bella has informed me you are to attend the Death Eater meeting tonight. The Dark Lord asked for you specifically."
Draco stared as the implications of his mother's words hit him like a bucket of ice water. This was it. This was the moment he had dreamed of since childhood. He would be accepted into the Dark Lord's inner circle. He would receive the mark of the Dark Lord, just as his father had predicted. He would finally join the Death Eaters.
But the scene had not been as glorious as Draco had hoped. Getting the Dark Mark had hurt more than anything he'd ever felt, and this was coming from someone who had been on the receiving end of that Weasely girl's Bat-Bogey Hex (numerous times, in fact). After branding Draco with the Dark Mark, the Dark Lord began dispensing instructions to the surrounding Death Eaters where they sat in the dining room of Malfoy Manor.
"Nott, Avery, I trust you have been keeping tabs on the Ministry?" the Dark Lord asked, looking at the pair coldly. Draco found he couldn't tear his eyes away from the ugly skull-and-snake tattoo that now marred his forearm.
"Indeed, my lord," Avery murmured.
Nott cleared his throat and said, "Everything is going according to plan. Thicknesse should be promoted to head of the Department by the end of the month."
"Excellent. And Yaxley, I believe your task was to familiarize yourself with that superstore muggles are so obsessed with?"
"Yes, m'lord. The muggle population, particularly abroad, is completely dependent on these Wal-Mart stores. Wiping out Wal-Mart could destroy 'em economically. Though I don't know yet if the place actually sells any walls."
"Good, good. After we have conquered the wizarding world, we shall use what you have learned to cripple the muggle population. Now, then. Draco," the Dark Lord turned his red eyes on the youngest Malfoy and Draco straightened with a thrill of terror.
"Y-yes, my lord?" he stammered.
"As you are well aware, I am… displeased with your father at the present moment," the Dark Lord hissed. Lucius was currently rotting in Azkaban for his failure at the Ministry. Draco had hoped the Dark Lord would eventually see it fit to break his father out of the wizard prison, but had thus far been disappointed.
"Your task will be to rectify the wrongs he has committed. Should you fail, you bring dishonor to your family and almost certain death to both your father and your mother."
Draco was frozen with fear.
"Your task is fairly straight forward. You shall go to Hogwarts as usual, and by the end of the year, you will kill Albus Dumbledore."
Every Death Eater around the table seemed to draw a collective breath at the Dark Lord's words. Draco realized he was trembling. Kill Albus Dumbledore? He, Draco, was only sixteen. How could he possibly kill one of the most powerful wizards to have ever lived?
Draco kept his face carefully blank as he bowed his head towards his master.
"It will be done, my lord," he said dutifully.
Draco was jerked back to the present as Lucius, a look of utmost disgust on his face, stood abruptly and strode purposely from the office. Draco assumed their meeting was over. He hastily grabbed his school schedule and followed suit, swinging his dragon hide book bag over his shoulder as he went.
Lucius turned near the school's front doors and eyed Draco briefly. Draco suddenly found himself at a loss for words. His father was about to leave him in this muggle hell hole, completely alone, for who knew how long. He wondered if he should say something, though he knew Lucius was not fond of farewells.
After a moment, Lucius spoke.
"Your wand, Draco." He held out his hand and waited.
"My- what? Surely you're joking!" Draco's eyes widened in horror. Life here without magic was unthinkable. Surely his father knew that!
"I am not in the habit of waiting," Lucius snapped.
"How am I to defend myself? You cannot honestly expect me to live like these people!"
"NOW, Draco!" Lucius' nostrils flared. Draco hesitantly pulled his wand from his sleeve but held onto it tightly. Perhaps he could reason with his father. Before he could open his mouth, however, Lucius had wrested the wand from Draco's hand and was moving away towards the school's front doors.
"I'll be in touch," Lucius shot over his shoulder.
"Wait! Father- WAIT!" Draco nearly panicked as his father strode from view.
Somewhere above his head, a bell rang and students began to swirl around the stunned, stationary form of Draco Malfoy.
For weeks, Draco had brooded and plotted in Malfoy Manor as he counted the days until his return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
His first month at Hogwarts passed in a blur. His shining moment of kicking stupid Potter in the face was short-lived as the task of killing Albus Dumbledore slowly consumed his every thought.
Then, on a particularly chilly morning in October, as Draco sat huddled in a corner of the courtyard, his eagle owl delivered a hastily penned note from his mother. It said simply:
"Draco. Your mission has changed. Return home immediately."
Draco's heart soared and the weather suddenly seemed a bit cheerier. So he wouldn't have to kill Dumbledore after all!
If only I had known then what I would be forced to do instead, Draco thought forlornly. He was still standing in the middle of the hall, oblivious to the stares from the students around him. If I had known what my new mission was to be, I would have begged for the old one back. Killing Dumbledore would have been a leisurely stroll through the Herbology greenhouses compared to-
"NEW KID ALERT!" a deep voice shouted out, startling Draco from his reverie. Several things happened at once, so quickly that Draco barely had the chance to process them. Two boys in matching jackets rushed towards Draco- he caught a glimpse of a strange, flimsy-looking white cup- he rose his arm to defend himself- and, suddenly, Draco was spluttering as he was hit with a wave of icy water. Icy, blue, water, he noted as he opened his eyes. The two boys dashed off, smacking high fives and hooting loudly. Draco watched a chunk of ice slide down a strand of white-blond hair and plunk pathetically to the floor. Oh god, Draco gasped. What IS this stuff? Will it dye my hair blue? OH GOD.
"Sucks, looks like you got slushied. Welcome to McKinley High," a white and red uniformed girl commented as she strolled by. Wiping his eyes, Draco glanced up to see the dark-haired girl smirking seductively at him over her shoulder. He stared. Who was this goddess among women?
Lucius strode out the school doors and continued down the sidewalk towards the parking lot. He intended to apparate once he reached an obscure location, far from the eyes of any passing muggles. The Dark Lord had been very adamant that Draco and Lucius were to avoid using outright magic at all costs, lest the muggles notice something odd.
Not bloody likely, Lucius mused as he walked. These muggles are possibly stupider than house elves. Nonetheless, he had taken Draco's wand from him. The boy was too quick to anger, if his frequent run-ins with the Potter boy and his gang were any indication. No, Lucius did not want to be the one to report to the Dark Lord that Draco had obliterated the entire school after some petty argument with a muggle.
Lucius came up short as a tall woman in a strange blue uniform stepped in front of him. He immediate recognized her as the muggle from Principal Figgin's office.
"Stop right there!" the woman barked, inspecting Lucius' long black robes and walking stick. "Looks like I'm going to have to fine you for crimes of fashion!"
What the hell was this muggle on about? Lucius made to walk around her but she stepped with him, effectively blocking his path. Lucius fought the urge to reach for his wand.
"Wait just a minute while I write you up." She whipped out a clipboard and began muttering aloud as she scribbled.
"Reporting officer… Sue Sylvester… Crime… atrocious fashion choices… violations… obnoxious judge robes and a pimp cane…."
"A- what?" Lucius was practically spluttering with rage. "What did you call my walking stick, muggle?"
"Walking stick! HA! As if you need help walking. That's a pimp cane if I ever saw one, mister," Sue was still scribbling. "Recommended fine… let's say seventy-five dollars."
Lucius did not know much about muggle currency but he felt that seemed preposterously high.
"Seventy-five? Are you mad?"
"I'm feeling charitable today. Wrote someone up last week and charged him a hundred bucks," Sue quipped as she ripped the paper from her board and held it out to Lucius. "The guy was wearing argyle socks and sandals, he should have expected it, to be frank with you. You can mail the money to the address listed. Cash only, make sure it's sent within thirty days-"
Lucius viciously snatched the paper from her hands and tore it to shreds. He wondered how the Dark Lord would react if he hexed the muggle right now. Better yet, he could hit her with the Avada Kedavra curse, transfigure the body to a rock and stash it away in plain sight. No one would have to know.
Sue gaped openly as the man ripped her fashion citation to shreds. No one had ever dared to undermine Sue's authority in such a way. Clearly, this guy had no idea how things operated here. It was Sue's way, always, no arguments. There was no highway option.
"Now I'll have to write you another citation!" she shouted. "And this time, expect the fine to be doubled!"
"Who are you? Is this how muggle society works?" Lucius found his voice rising. "I refuse to PAY for wearing what I choose!"
Sue stared, breathing heavily. Control, she told herself. Practice some control. Finally, when she felt she could behave somewhat rationally, she spoke:
"I would normally be inclined to strike you with a violent neck chop that would leave you gasping for air in less than two seconds. But your impeccably luscious hair stays my hand, and I realize I cannot render such a man unconscious without first asking what type of conditioner he uses."
Whatever it was Lucius expected from her, it was not that. "Leave me in peace, you muggle bit of filth!" he shot, but refused to take a step back.
"I don't have time for this!" Sue flared up again. "I have somewhere to be. But this argument is so far from over you can't even begin to comprehend it! In fact, I'd say this argument has barely begun!" With that, she turned on her heel and marched away towards a large vehicle that was parked diagonally, taking up three parking spots.
"By the way, like my new monster pick-up truck? I figure it will come in useful when I need to mow down the people who oppose me!" Sue shouted, revving the engine.
Lucius' thoughts swirled dangerously as he watched the truck peel from the parking lot with a deafening screech. At the same time, he was perplexed. He had never met someone quite like this muggle. He thought he'd known what evil was. He was, after all, a Death Eater. But this woman was so much more. She was decidedly… wicked. And as much as he tried to push her from his mind, Lucius couldn't help but feel that he'd stared strait into the eyes of the devil. And no one quarrels with the devil without getting burnt.