Disclaimer: I am just a mere visitor in the sublime world constructed by the brilliant mind that is J.K Rowling. Anything that rings a bell is hers.
Chapter 9
Draco's POV
"…picking out under garments does not take that long, especially the ones you did end up choosing! I'm going to owl Madam Zangara, Twilfitt's standards are really dropping. I don't see why I couldn't be there whilst you picked them out darling; I am your mother…"
I sighed, allowing my mother to walk ahead of me whilst our front gates opened, making non committal sounds at her continuous murmurings in concerns with my fifteen minute disappearance from her sight. She seemed to have bought the underwear excuse, I frowned down at the parcel in my hand, I bought the first pair I saw, spending the rest of my time at Borgin's. I wouldn't wear this pair even if it promised to triple my manhood…not that I needed it.
"…Blaise and Theodore do their shopping?"
"I believe they said they will be going tomorrow, Mrs Malfoy." I smirked at Liam's voice; the boy was useful especially when covering up from my mother's constant questions. He wasn't lying though, Blaise and Theo were going to do their school shopping tomorrow, they were supposed to have gone with us today but Blaise, like he had been for most of the holiday, was too hung-over to function and Theo was stuck with babysitting duty. Something he will surely regret when finding out that the Trifecta of Retards had decided to do their shopping today as well, their mudblood mascot always a strange favourite of his. Stranger still was the absence of Thornton, but she could have still been in Diagon Alley, just choosing to stay away from her now ex-boyfriend…judging by our last meeting that would seem the case.
"What is it darling?"
"Pardon?" I dodged a white peacock, thinking for the tenth time that I should take advantage of my father's absence and get rid of the useless creatures; I held the door out for my mother, letting Liam walk through as well.
"The joke that has you smiling ever so widely, sweetheart?"
I frowned, smiling? I looked at Liam and he nodded with a small smile on his face, I readjusted my face from the smile I unknowingly displayed, but didn't have to answer my mother's question as a shock of scarlet crossed my line of sight, successfully putting an end to any all happiness I was allowed.
Their scarlet cloaks consumed my vision, even though they were stationary and inconspicuous in the expansive foyer, standing at the entrance to the living room, one tall and stretching the fabric of the red cloak to its furthest extent with his wide shoulders, whilst the other was small, possibly female but I couldn't tell unless the…person…turned around, allowing me viewpoint of their chest.
The two never turned, paying no attention to our entrance like they did every day this past holiday, well that would seem the case to the uninformed mind, but I knew better, and even though my mother never brought the subject up, she was very aware that these people were placed here for a reason…the Dark Lord had said it was to be an extra set of hands to guard the Manor whilst my father was away, and he insulted our intelligence with the lie. They were not here to protect us, I was pretty sure if something had to occur they would continue to observe, unmoving, they were here instead to spy on us…on me…I passed a furtive glance at my mother as she instructed the house elves to take care of the shopping, her face expressionless…
Her blue eyes shone up at me in a way I had never seen before, a thousand and one emotions mixed in the blue hue that I was so familiar with. My mother was nudged forward by my aunt, who failed to show any emotion upon her face, be it in her expression or eyes, except lunacy. Aunt Bella nudged my mother again, forcing her to move and ushering her up the stairs, smiling crazily at me the whole time. I continued staring at mother, not knowing where else to look…not wanting to process my surroundings, my heart beating so fast I was shocked that it didn't burst from over exhaustion. Aunt Bella pulled her up the stairs and I continued looking even as she was out of sight. I had the urge to run after her, to hide behind her skirt like I had done so many times when I was younger, to ask her to wait, to stay…
"Enter." I hadn't knocked but I knew better than to disobey the high pitched voice and I walked forward, pushing the familiar door of my dining room…a feat that took me a good few seconds longer as my fingers failed to grip the doorknob as it trembled…
The air turned to acid as it burned its way through my lungs as my eyes landed on the scarlet orbs; set like rubies in the pale serpentine face…distorted further by the wide smile…his long arms spread out on either side of him in welcome.
"Ahhh…Draco…at long last we meet." I barely processed his words as my ears heated as my blood itself turned to lava in fright. "Come, come, sit."
I was framed in the entrance, my aunt had informed my mother a hundred times that the Dark Lord had not summoned me for an execution for the sins of my father, yet I still felt like I would see the tip of his wand any moment now.
"It would seem the boy needs a lesson in etiquette, I would be more than happy to instruct him, My Lord."
My eyes were finally pulled away from the face of the most fearsome wizard of the century and landed on an aesthetically pleasing sight that brought me no comfort. The woman was gorgeous, a beauty that was riddle with coolness, cold jade green eyes set in a pale face that had a distinct hint of Slavic ancestry…Katerina Karetnikov…I heard that name often enough accompanied by a flurry of swears from my aunt.
"Ahh Katerina, did you not see the peacocks outside. The Malfoy's etiquette is rivaled by nobody, am I right in saying so, Draco."
I made a sound that made me flinch on the inside, I sounded like a strangled goose, Karetnikov's smile widened which prompted me to get a hold of myself, I never took ridicule well…fuck…I was never ridiculed…
"Come and sit, Draco."
He was making a point in saying my name, anything a hundred other purebloods would take pride in, the Dark Lord calling them out and taking the time to address them personally…yet I knew why he kept saying my given name…it was a reminder to me, a reminder that he knew who I was. I couldn't hide from him, he wanted me…just me, not the Malfoy name, he wanted me to pay for the mistake my father had made. I tried to still my shaking legs, walking past my usual place on my table…in my dining room…yet another thing that brought me no comfort as I was treated like a guest in my own home, sitting in the seat he had gestured me to sit in.
My eyes flickered to the corner of the room…red cloaked figures stood in the corner and I watched as they stared straight ahead as if the opposing wall was of the utmost interest.
"Admiring my new cavalry?" I turned back to the snake faced man, I knew why he was being so pleasant…he was trying a tactic he almost never did, he was trying to catch flies with honey rather than vinegar…there was two things very wrong with the situation though…I was no fly…and he never needed tactics to get what he wanted. "We are to thank Katerina for that, she is…quite persuasive…especially in recruiting new members."
The green eyed woman's smile widened, "You could say I'm somewhat of an expert at it, bring them in as if they're brand new…ready to be polished and shined to perfection."
I lay my palms on the arms of the chair, sticking to it slightly due to the sweat, trying and failing to calm down…why did he summon me!
"What do you think Draco?"
My heart sped up, I didn't think it was even possible and I bit my lip from trembling, "Pardon…My Lord?"
He smiled, turning to his companion with what I think was a smile, "That does have a nice sound to it, doesn't it?"
"I have to admit it does, My Lord."
He turned back to me, "I was inquiring about your opinions with regards to the recruitment of new members…"
I gulped, my heart seizing up at where this conversation was going. "I…I…" Fuck, how do I say this…how do I get out of this, my eyes flickered to the door and I swore at myself for allowing the movement, "I think it's unnecessary, my Lord."
He smirked and Karetnikov cocked her brow at me, "Do go on, Draco."
"I…I only mean that you need not brainwash anyone, nor recruit them. Why would you need to, when anybody worth following you, would volunteer their services with no persuasion needed, and why recruit when the Dark Lord's values and ideas are so unanimous amongst us, purebloods. Like my father…and aunt…"
"A father and aunt that couldn't even beat a group of teenagers."
I gulped at the woman's words, the sentences that were so hard for me to even construct backfiring on me, "I…my…he…"
I was thankfully saved by a knock on the door, the Dark Lord didn't look away from my face as he announced, "Enter."
Severus Snape did so, his tall stature striding across the room with his onyx coat billowing behind him and the acid in my lungs began to neutralize at his presence.
"Ahhh, Severus, I was wondering if you would indeed join us. All well in York?"
He bowed his head, taking the seat across from me, "Naturally, My Lord. Still, there are no excuses for my tardiness."
"I suppose I should give you a few lessons on etiquette as well as young Master Malfoy."
His black eyes fell on Karetnikov, giving nothing away, he looked back at the Dark Lord, "Am I to assume from that statement that you have made a decision, My Lord?"
"Oh I can hardly make a decision; after all, it is Draco's decision to make, is it not?" His serpent smile widened and all comfort that I took at my Godfather's arrival disappeared, "What say you, Draco?"
It was not a question…it was not a question because a question implied alternative answers and there can only be one answer to that question, my lips trembled…the real question was unspoken yet thick in the air that entered my lungs and suffocated it like poison…this was my punishment…I was to join them…only question left was how he was going to execute this punishment?
"Draco!" My head snapped around at the familiar voice and I battered the memory of the most miserable and life changing night of my life as I spotted the head of chocolate brown. Her hazel eyes danced in glee and my smile returned with ease, the fateful night that I was awarded my death sentence in the form of my first mission batted away by the bright face, all pretences unnecessary as I stood in the middle of the passageway in my quarters. I held out my arms and she jumped into them, I lifted Aria with ease as she clung to my neck, giggling into my ears, "You're finally back."
"I've only been gone a few hours. Did Liam give you your gift?"
She smiled wider, "He did, I love it. Thank you ever so much! I'm going to wear the pink one when I see you guys off to school." She pouted as I placed her back on her feet, "Of course that could be avoided if you enroll me at Hogwarts."
I laughed, leading her to the door on our right, "I thought we've had this discussion, mother thinks it's better for a young lady to attend a more fitting school like Beauxbaton's, and I agree."
"Plus how am I to get to meet any hot French girls if you don't go and scout them out for me." She giggled, running to the sofa as Blaise and Theo stood in greeting, the former as disheveled as his unmade bed to the right of me, at least Theo managed to get him out of it.
I heard the door close behind me and I didn't need to turn to know that it was Liam. After their parents died, the Rheines were left homeless, considering Mrs Rheines didn't have a home to her name due to her disowned status, and Emerson Yardley, their father, practically spent their whole life in Azkhaban with nothing to his name, I had taken advantage of my father's distraction with the Dark Lord and housed them in Bella Îlle, now bringing them to the Manor in my father's absence. My mother, uninterested in anything but our fall in the social ladder for most of the time following my father's arrest, had barely registered my request to move them here, but it soon turned out to be the best thing for her. She had always wanted a daughter, and Aria was every bit the cute little doll that she wanted to dress up and parade for the world, whilst Liam was helpful to the point of servitude. I was pretty sure he was late now due to the fact that he was overseeing the placing of all mother's parcels in the appropriate place.
"From what I saw Hogwarts has enough talent as it is." I scoffed at her use of the word; she was spending too much time with us.
"And what do you know of the talent at Hogwarts principessa?" Blaise ruffled her hair and she glared up at him, setting the strands in the proper place as I took a seat next to Theo, who was smiling into the tea he was drinking.
"Well I met the very talented Kyrianna Thornton of course." My smile fell off my face as she grinned at us all as if she had announced her meeting Merlin himself.
"How did you meet her? Where?" Liam frowned slightly at his words, which had nothing to do with Thornton, Liam adored Thornton, he was frowning at the fact that Aria had left the house…and there was only one other person in this house that would take her anywhere…
Her wide grin died down as she bit her lip and I leaned forward, "Aria…who did you go with?"
"Al…Alya wanted to-"
"Did I not tell you to stay home, to wait for Blaise to wake up or Theo to arrive? Kovsky!" There was a click and an old house elf appeared, her blue eyes clouded with age and Aria quickly moved in front of her.
"It's not Kovsky's fault Draco. She was watching me, just as you asked…but then Alya came-"
"Didn't we tell you never to talk, let alone leave the house with Alya!" Liam snapped at his sister and her frown deepened.
"She…she said she was going to Diagon Alley…and since you didn't want to take me I thought I could see you there…I just wanted to see the outside."
My temper dulled at her teary expression, she hasn't left this wing, let alone this house for the past few months…and there was good reason for it…aside from the outside being surrounded by enemies, there was enough danger under this roof with Alya, her mother and Karetnikov's red cloaks roaming the house.
She sniffed and I kneeled down, never taking tears well. "It's not that we didn't want to take you to Diagon Alley, we could not take you to Diagon Alley, it's not safe outside, neither is it safe anywhere else in the house. I know Alya doesn't have access to your rooms, so how did she find you? Did you leave your room?"
She backed into Kovsky, nodding her trembling lip and I sighed as Liam started to shout at her, I held up my hand, shouting would accomplish nothing now.
"Did Alya do anything to you?"
Her lips stopped trembling and she nodded her head fervently and I stood quickly, ready to find that black haired devil and make her pay. "She did. She saved me! Kyrianna Thornton attacked me!"
Aria burst into tears, hugging my neck and I looked up at Liam in shock, I patted her back and I heard the distinct sound of teacup on saucer as Theo placed his cup down.
"What? You must be mistaken principessa."
She shook her head resolutely, "She did. She strangled me. Look." She tilted her head, due to our height difference I hardly saw it but now I could see a distinctive bruising, the tell tale signs of an asphyxiation charm, something Thornton was now famous for at Hogwarts as many witnessed her doing them wandlessly at the fight against the aurors when they attacked the half breed oaf and McGonagall during the Astronomy exam.
"Are you sure it was Kyrianna Thornton that attacked you?" Liam asked, voice riddled with the doubt.
She wiped her face, nodding, "32 C."
Blaise gasped, she had learned that trick from him and even if I didn't pride myself at being some sort of an expert in breast size, I knew that that was definitely Thornton's. This however proved nothing, I stared into Aria's hazel eyes, holding her shoulders, "Where did Thornton attack you."
"The alley across from Weasley's Wizard's Wheezes. I just wanted to thank her for saving me by sending for help when that man attacked me and…mother, at the beginning of the year." Aria still didn't know that was her father and we had no intentions of telling her.
"And she just pulled you into the alley?"
She nodded.
"And where was Alya during all of this?" Theo was ever the voice of reason as he asked the right questions. She bit her lip in response, "I wandered away…whilst Alya was shopping."
"And where were her two Puff henchman."
"They found me, they called Alya who fought her off me…she protected me." She sniffed, the tears falling down her cheeks.
"Why didn't you tell me this once I saw you?" Her hazel eyes shorn into my grey ones and she shrugged.
"I…I didn't remember until now."
I looked into her hazel eyes, seeing each colour in the pupil until I easily entered her head, and sure enough I saw Thornton chocking Aria wandlessly as her little legs flailed about. Only thing it wasn't really Thornton, the face was hers but the body was different, the hips too narrow and legs too long.
I blinked and I was out again, my skills at legilemency and occlumency improving greatly due to Alya's constant presence and the need for me to be on guard.
I placed my hands on her shoulders, taking in her face, "Aria, what do you think of Kyrianna Thornton?"
A strange thing happened then, a huge grin split her face but she voiced contrasting words, "I hate her. She frightens me…"
I stood, reaching the same conclusion that Theo surely had. Alya maybe be perfect at the mind control curse, but she had flaws with memory charms, judging by the misconstrued interpretation of Thornton implanted in Aria's mind. Aria had met Thornton, but judging by the smile on her face, it was a pleasant meeting, not even the contrasting sentence she was brainwashed to recite when I questioned her could defy that smile.
"Theo…break the memory charm." I walked to the door, grateful that the Manor allowed underage magic more than ever presently, Alya on the other hand should count it as her biggest curse as I sought out the blue eyed fiend for not only tampering with Aria's memory and will, but also physically harming her…the lamp to the left of me burst at the thought that Alya had probably fought Thornton, the flame grew large at the image of Thornton, flesh marred…bleeding…bruised…I was tired of feeling a guest in my own house…it was time to show these people who was the real Master of Malfoy Manor…
A/N: Like? Dislike? Review : )
Kalina