Chapter 8: A Father's Secret

She followed him down to the dungeons of the Malfoy Manor. Thoughts went through her mind as how her father was doing and felt guilty for living in a luxurious bed and eating excellent food, what if he was sick? What if he had been tortured? But to her relief, they entered a room where he had a decent bed and warmth, Hessa turned to Draco, "you kept your promise, you made sure he was taken care of." Draco simply nodded.

"Hessa?" Olivander rubbed his eyes for a second. "HESSA!"

She ran to him, "father!" They hugged each other for a while, "are you alright?"

"As well as one can be under these circumstances," Ollivander caressed Hessa's right ear, "Oh, Hessa….I'm so sorry."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing," he shook his head.

"You saw my earring and you said you were sorry, what did you mean?"

A familiar and cold drawl came from a dark corner, when she focused on the little ray of light across the gray eyes, it was Lucius Malfoy, "yes, tell her what you mean, Ollivander."

"What are you doing here!" Hessa snapped.

"Monitoring your father as I always am. Don't you look rather fetching in your Conk garb?"

Ollivander looked down, "I'm sorry Hessa, I should have told you sooner, explained to you what you are."

"But no one knew what I was, not even the Ministry…."

"The Ministry didn't know, but I did."

"But how…?"

"It wasn't an accident that you were put on my doorstep, that was just a story I told you, partly to protect you, you wouldn't have understood." Hessa looked at him, this whole time…

"Then you know who my parents are?"

"Yes…your father is dead, but your mother…"

"What about my mother…?" she had tears in her eyes now.

"Your mother is alive as far as I know."

"Then why did she give me up!"

"Your mother was a witch and your father was the one that was a Conk. It is rare, but every now and again, a male Conk is born that has the same traits as a female Conk. He fell in love with your mother and she was the one he was bound to, but during the last war against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, he gave his life to save hers and yours. She was pregnant with you then and he made sure you were to escape. Later she gave birth to you, but the emotional devastation of the war and the loss of your father, she couldn't seem to handle daily life, but she also couldn't bare to send you to an orphanage and knew that the muggle world and the wizarding world knew very little of Conks and how to care for them…all except me.

I knew the culture and studied it when I was younger, it was a fluke how I happened upon the small village of them, but nevertheless, I did…they had since gone to other places because of the war, afraid that they would be discovered by the dark wizards and forced into slavery, but your mother knew this about me and so did your father. So, apparently it was agreed upon that if anything should happen to either of them, you were to be given to me and I was to adopt you right away. I was given a potion that day to make sure I resisted your 'charms' when you came of age and I was told to make sure that you led as normal a life as possible."

"But it wasn't normal!" Hessa yelled. "I was poked and prodded and given stupid tests all the time, I was made fun of by other witches and wizards." Draco raised his eyebrows and looked down, finding the stone floor very interesting. "It would have made more sense if you had just told me."

"I couldn't risk you accidentally telling someone out of anger that you were a Conk, every wizard around the world would be at our doorstep wanting to know if they were the one you were to be bound to, is that the life you would have wanted? It was already bad enough trying to fend all the boys off from our shop window, all staring at you when you were starting to become of age."

"Mother had to have known that I would have found out, how it all worked."

"Yes, she did. But we didn't know that you would end up with the Malfoys." Lucius narrowed his eyes. "She was hoping that you would have ended up with someone like the Weasleys or by chance, a certain half-blood." Draco almost growled.

"That's why you tried to keep them away from me and let the Weasleys take me to the Ministry all the time?"

"Yes, in hopes that maybe one of the boys would trigger some reaction, but it didn't."

Draco couldn't take it anymore, "you're damned straight it didn't! Do you think for a second that the Weasleys could have taken good care of Hessa, do you! Conks aren't meant to work, they are meant to be assistants and companions, the Weasleys would have probably made her work!"

Hessa glared at him, "the Weasleys are nice, stop saying that about them!"

"They are my enemy, so they have to be yours! Do you understand?"

"No, I'm not making anyone my enemy."

Lucius grinned in amusement, his son was going to have to learn to control her, she clearly had a stubborn streak. Draco came up on her very closely with a dangerous look in his eyes, clenching his jaw, "really."

Hessa suddenly became uncomfortable and turned back to her father, "what did my other father look like?"

"You look very much like him," Ollivander said softly. "You have your mother's mouth though."

She was turned around by Draco, "don't turn your back on me."

"I wasn't, I just don't want to fight about it!"

"Then you are going to have to accept the fact that you are on THIS side, not the Weasleys side, not POTTER'S side!"

"I don't want to BE on any side, they are my friends, why are you making me do this!" she put her hands over her eyes, trying to stop the tears.

Ollivander grew angry, "leave her alone, Draco Malfoy, she has never liked to fight."

"Stay out of this old man!" Draco snapped.

"Don't you talk to him that way!" Soon Hessa found herself flung like a rag doll over Draco's shoulder. "Draco, what are you doing! Put me down!"

"Put her down, my daughter, put her down!" Ollivander yelled.

Draco yelled back in a nearly unholy voice, "she's no longer your concern!"

……………………………………………………………………………………..

He threw her on the bed, "how dare you disobey me in front of my father! How dare you disregard what I am saying to you while we are in the middle of a conversation!" Hessa sat in the middle of the bed, looking like a doll and watching Draco pace back and forth. "I go out of my way to make sure you see your father and the kindness I have shown you…!"

"Kindness? You tear me away from him, first when you kidnap us and then now…and then you yell at him…"

"Because he disrespected me by saying how he was 'hoping' that one of the Weasleys or a 'certain half-blood' would be the one you were bound to, as if we are filth! Malfoys are one of the most distinguished lines in magic blood!"

"You are Death Eaters! You kill people, how can you expect him to want me to be tied to you, especially when he knows how I'll be used!" Hessa looked down.

"What? And your precious POTTER wouldn't take advantage of your abilities!"

"I'm not saying he wouldn't or that they wouldn't, it's just they…"

"Are the good guys?" Draco narrowed his eyes. Hessa said nothing, she really couldn't. "So, do you still think about him? Potter?" Again she said nothing and her silence pissed him off, so much so, he was on top of her, grabbing her arms again and hurting her, "I've got news for you, no man, and I mean NO MAN will ever lay a hand on you, not even to shake it!"

Hessa looked up at him and put her hands on his chest, "why do you need to do this? Why? You know I belong to you, you know I wouldn't be with another unless you gave me permission, yet you are bound and determined to lay such a heavy hand on me, make me scared of you, but I'm not." Draco's look softened. "I'm not because I know you care for me, you love me, don't you?" He said nothing. "I know you can't say it, not that you don't want to, you just can't say it here, but I know."

Hessa nuzzled his neck and kiss his jaw line, he started to purr and hold her tight, but Draco's hand grabbed the base of her skull, causing her to wince, "don't think this excuses you for disobeying me, you are to listen to me."

"Yes, but I want to see my father again. I want to know where I came from," she said softly.

Draco pushed her down and started kissing her, "we will see."

……………………………………………………………………………………

Lucius sat down in front of Ollivander and started drinking a bit, "so, you think my son is below your daughter do you?" Ollivander said nothing, but just glared at Lucius. "Well, like it or not, the boy is her master, and you know what it took to accomplish it."

"Stop talking about her like that."

"Like what?"

"I see how you look at my daughter, Mr. Malfoy."

Lucius leaned back in his chair and smiled and continued to sip his drink, "as a man, you can understand…especially if you met my wife."

"Leave her alone…"

"It won't be your concern much longer, the Dark Lord feels you've fulfilled your purpose…"

……………………………………………………………………………………..

Lucius came into his son's room to find him holding Hessa; they were both naked with the covers barely around their waist. He came up to the bed and started to touch Hessa's leg, she started to stir, and Lucius then found himself face-to-face with Draco's wand. "Do you find something interesting, father?"

He grinned, "it's almost time for lunch."

"And the reason you just didn't send a house elf to inform me?"

"I just wanted to say that we'll be taking care of Ollivander, you might want to prepare your little Conk."

"Why do you need to kill him?"

"He's fulfilled his use. The Dark Lord doesn't want to bother with memory charms, the Ministry is finding a way to reverse them now."

"Then keep him alive for her, she'll be more agreeable…"

"He's already a threat because she becomes defiant when she sees him, if he's out of the picture, she won't have any other influence but you. Now, meet us downstairs in an hour," Lucius left but not before turning and stating to his son, "oh, and the next time you see fit to point your wand at me, you had best be prepared for a severe punishment."

Draco looked down at Hessa, how could he tell her that they were going to kill her father? There was nothing he could do to override the decision, even though he was Lucius Malfoy's son, he was still a lower rank…even with his special training. But there was one thing he could do, let her see her father before he died and get all the information she needed.

………………………………………………………………………………………

They came down to lunch as expected, the two men sat at the ends of the table. Narcissa sipped her soup daintily while Hessa sat and looked at it, playing with it, "what is it dear, don't you like your soup, the house elves can get you something else?"

Hessa looked up, "no, it's fine."

Draco smiled, "I think I know, Hessa…we're going to see your father again after this, alright?" He was relieved when she smiled and started eating again, Lucius glared at him, his son was far too accommodating to her.

"Do you think that is wise," Lucius hissed.

"Yes, why not? I'm sure there is enough time for her to see him. She wants to know more about where she came from, I think we would all like to know."

Narcissa nodded, "I don't see the harm, as long as it gets done before Pansi comes tonight. I took the liberty of bragging to the Parkinsons about our little Hessa, they insisted on seeing the girl."

Lucius rolled his eyes, "MUST you brag so much to them, you know I can hardly stand when they come over here."

Hessa looked back and forth to Narcissa and Lucius, then finally said something, "um…then why did you agree to marry Draco to her?"

Draco looked at Hessa and smiled, "I ask myself that question every day."

"You know why, Draco," Lucius hissed.

"FINE, as long as she agrees to stay on her side of the house," he crossed his arms.

"I personally don't care what you do, as long as she provides an HEIR."

"What if Hessa provides one first?" Draco smirked, he loved getting a rise out of his father. Hessa simply turned pink and looked down while Narcissa tutted…this was such a tacky conversation to have at the table.

"Then you will have TWO children, but only one heir! The woman you are married to is the one that has the HEIR."

"What if Pansi's barren? She's screwed most of Hogwarts, surely she should have been knocked up by now!"

"DRACO!" Narcissa snapped.

"Well, I'm tired of this! I don't want to marry Pansi, I never have. She's at best a common whore! Why can't I marry Hessa, she's the one I want to have a child with…this pure-blood crap is getting on my nerves! Hessa would have a powerful child, worthy of being a Malfoy!"

Lucius slammed his fist down, "She is a servant!"

Hessa looked hurt, Narcissa could only look on in sympathy but started when Hessa stood up, "I am not a servant! My line is a distinguished line too!"

"SIT DOWN!" he screamed, Lucius' temper scared her, but Hessa refused to budge. "You are a servant and a servant does what she is told!"

"If I am JUST a servant, then why am I so highly valued, you brag about me to your friends, 'come see our Conk, the ones we haven't been able to find for centuries'!"

Draco was getting the biggest kick out of this.

"You sit down or I swear your father will suffer!"

"NO!" Hessa stomped her foot and suddenly the side tables were cracked in half, everyone started and she looked around surprised herself. "Oops."

Draco snorted with laughter until his father demanded that he take control of her immediately. He quickly took Hessa but still laughed about it the entire way up the stairs. Narcissa glared at Lucius, "you need to be gentler with her."

"WHY? She's defiant, and if she is too defiant the Dark Lord will kill her and she is right in one aspect, she is highly valued."

"She is going through quite a bit and you have to understand, Lucius…she is not only feeling her emotions but our son's as well, they are bonded now."

"Narcissa, when I want your opinion I'll give it to you," he left the room, causing his wife to tear…why did he always have to degrade her?