Disclaimer:
The original content of the Harry Potter characters, books or movies do not belong to me. All belong to their respective creators and owners.
I stated that I do not own the rights to anything other than the FF idea.
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"Speaking"= "..."
'Thinking'= '...'
[Memories]= [...]
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Chapter 4:
….
Percy and I were the only ones in the family who truly cared about dressing appropriately, neatly, and elegantly.
Seeing us all in the dining room, Percy nodded briefly.
"Good morning. Mother, siblings."
"Attention, everyone! Here comes Lord Weasley! How are you on this beautiful morning, perhaps you'd like a cup of black tea?" one of the twins joked.
"Or maybe my Lord desires something else on this delightful day?" the other continued, laughing lightly.
Percy simply snorted at them, reminding me a bit of my father when I was Draco Malfoy, yes, Lucius used to snort like that too... what an unexpected coincidence.
I hope I'm not imagining things.
"Come on, Percy, take a seat as the food is already served," said Molly.
However, before he could sit down, Arthur Weasley finally appeared dressed and ready for work, giving us all a warm smile.
Arthur, my father now, was a calm but cheerful man, someone who treated everyone with respect and gentleness; he didn't really stand out much in the crowd.
But he tried hard, even if he was hardly ever at home, all the free time he had, he dedicated to spending it with us. I once despised this man, but now it was somewhat natural for me to see the positive aspects in him.
He was just too different from Lucius Malfoy, just like me and Ronald, they were also polar opposites. And a part of me might have thought very poorly of Arthur, but the other one cared for him a lot, which made everything more difficult for me.
Luckily, I had managed to accept all of this, as hard as it was, and adapt. I suppose I matured a bit having another perspective on things.
"Good morning, family!"
"Good morning!" was our unified response.
Except for Percy, who added "Father," and Molly, who instead of an audible greeting, gave Arthur a warm smile as they hugged and kissed.
Yes, I admit, I felt nauseous.
"Arthur, dear, come, let's eat," said Molly as she led him to the head of the table.
...
"How's the studying going, Percy?" Arthur asked after sitting down at the table.
"Fine, I plan to maintain the top spot among my year group."
"Conceited," commented Fred and George under their breath, making Ginny and Ronald laugh.
"Oh, that's great, son, you are now entering a most important phase of your magical education, next year you will have your O.W.L.s and you need all the preparation you can get" Arthur said, nodding.
Then he looked at the twins.
"And you two? I hope we won't be receiving any complaints from Hogwarts at the end of this school year"
"No need to worry," assured one of them.
"That's right, this time no one will catch us," added the other, causing Arthur to sigh tiredly.
"Remember, Weasleys, Hogwarts holds a whole world of secrets and magical knowledge. Don't limit yourselves to the common day-to-day or traditional subjects; explore everything the school has to offer. The vast castle, magical creatures, unconventional subjects, every corner of Hogwarts is a learning opportunity. Keep your minds open and don't underestimate the value of the unknown."
"Of course, Father," responded Percy, while the twins shook their heads, smiling.
...
As every morning, breakfast was full of energy due to Fred and George, who always liked to joke and quickly be scolded by Molly.
Arthur, on the other hand, didn't intervene unless absolutely necessary or unless Molly forced him to.
Ginny and Ronald just laughed at the antics of those two or at how Molly reprimanded them.
While Percy and I mostly ignored everyone. Sometimes we talked to each other or with Arthur. And the few times I engaged in conversation with the bloody twins were mostly when I came up with something interesting and fun for them to do to Ronald; yes, I was always willing to lend them a hand for that.
On the other hand, Percy was a useful tool for me as I could always get some things from him, and apparently, I was the brother he liked the most.
And although I hate to admit it, he was also the one I had the best relationship with..., besides Ginny, of course, she adored me.
But it was good to have Percy in the house because we were two of a kind, different from the rest of the family.
If it had been just me, it would have raised suspicions and been very uncomfortable. So I was somewhat grateful to have an older brother who took much of the attention.
Even Fred and George used to joke that I had copied Percy's haughty attitude.
...
After breakfast, I went to Arthur before he disappeared to go to work.
"Father, I promised Aunt Muriel I would visit her later," I said, knowing it was easier to talk to him than to Molly about this.
Molly glanced quickly at me when she heard that.
"Uh, Drago, you know we can't waste Floo powder—"
"Aunt Muriel gave me enough Floo powder to visit her and then return," I quickly clarified, knowing she would refuse otherwise. Molly didn't like me spending so much time at Aunt Muriel's because she believed she spoiled me too much compared to her other children...
Which was actually true, but it was due to my own efforts that I gained Muriel Prewett's favor.
"Of course, go ahead, Drago," said Arthur with a gentle smile.
"Thank you," I nodded with a smile, already knowing he would approve my request as always.
"Arthur, I told you yesterday that I planned to take the kids to the Fawcetts' today."
"Oh, come on, dear Molly, Percy, Fred, and George already have their own plans today, let Drago go to Muriel's if he wishes."
Molly just shook her head and finally let me go.
...…
...…
I returned from Aunt Muriel's to the Burrow only in the evening.
And upon returning, I found a pleasant surprise.
Apparently, just moments ago, the Hogwarts acceptance letters for both Ronald and me had finally arrived.
I was currently the only one in the house because Molly had gone with Ronald and Ginny to visit the Fawcetts; she had said they would stay there for dinner, so they wouldn't be back until later.
Fred and George weren't home either as they had gone to spend the whole day at a friend's house, just like Percy.
Not even Arthur would return for dinner as he had an important meeting late into the night about the misuse of Muggle artifacts.
It was for these reasons that when the Hogwarts letters arrived, I decided to take advantage and go straight to Diagon Alley on my own.
Of course, no one in the family should find out about it because Molly disapproved. She and Arthur had repeatedly told us that we should only visit Diagon Alley when it was still early because later it was not a safe place.
Anyway, no one would find out, and I still had some Floo powder that Aunt Muriel had given me, so I didn't waste any more time and left.
...
After arriving in Diagon Ally, I headed straight to the only place I was interested in going today.
Ollivanders wand shop.
This was what I had been really looking forward to.
I was currently using an old wand that Aunt Muriel had given me to practice some spells on my own in private. It was a secret between her and me, none of my siblings knew about it, and certainly not Molly or Arthur.
But now I would finally get my own wand.
...
I stood in front of Ollivanders and as usual the shop was narrow and shabby.
A tinkling bell rang somwhere in the dephts of the shop as I stepped inside.
Just as I remembered it, the inside of the shop was a tiny place, empty except for a single chair.
I looked at the thousands of narrows boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling, knowing that one of the wands stored there would be mine today.
"Good evening" said a soft voice and just like in the past I jumped.
I hated how this old man had managed to surprise me twice already, but I had to admit that he was extremely silent. Even when I was waiting for him to appear I failed to notice him.
Ollivanders, the old man whit his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop, was standing right in front of me with a smile on his face.
"Hello" I said casually trying to sound calm and unimpressed by his sudden appearance in front of me.
"Ah a Weasley" Mr. Ollivanders said moving closer to me and staring at me with those creepy silvery eyes. "I didn't expect to see you so soon, lately few Weasley's buy a wand for their first year".
"Well, the wand is the most important thing for a wizard, I couldn't even think of being a wizard without a proper wand," said Drago confidently. "I'm Drago Weasley by the way."
"Drago Weasley... Hmmm, you are different from your parents, but you remind me a bit of an old friend of mine, Ignatius Prewett, with a nice and powerful pinus wand. Your brother Percy Weasley bears a strong resemblance to him too, but he favoured a Larix wand… Well, I say your brother favoured it… it's really the wand that chooses the wizard of course"
"Now, let me see" Ollivanders pulled a long tape measure with silver marking out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"
"I'm righ-handed"
"Hold out your arm. That's it" he measure me from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round my head.
Then the tape measure began a measuring on its own. It was nothing new at all, I'd been through all this before when I was Draco Malfoy, though I doubted I'd get back the same wand as before.
Ollivanders was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.
"That will do" he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, try this one. Birch and dragon heartstring. Ten inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave"
I took the wand and waved it around a bit, but Ollivanders snatched it out of my hand almost at once.
"Hawthorn and unicorn hair. Ten inches. Quite powerful. Try…"
I immediately recognized this wand, as I had used it in the past when I was Draco Malfoy... I didn't know if it was just a coincidence or fate that Ollivander considered giving it to me again.
Without fully listening to what he was saying, I quickly tried the wand with which I had so many memories in my first and second year at Hogwarts as Draco Malfoy...
But as I expected, this wand was no longer for me.
...
I continued trying other wands. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Ollivanders pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.
I didn't understand why he seemed excited, but this was new to me, as Draco had only needed to try 3 wands before finally getting the right one. But now it seemed to have no end.
"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere..."
Those were Ollivander's confident words...
Too bad that an hour had passed since I entered the shop and I still hadn't obtained the right wand.
And even Ollivander seemed concerned about this, although by the way he looked at me, he seemed more intrigued than anything else.
Still, he didn't give up and continued giving me wands, some of which had even been made before he was born...
...
...
Chapter 5:
...
After quite a while, Ollivanders stopped and stared at me.
"Hmmm... how curius... how very curius..." he muttered.
"Cuirus?" I asked confused and somewhat tired of trying and trying wands without success.
"Well, well, well... Mr Weasley, this is the first time a young wizard has come in search of his first wand and I don't have a suitable one to accompany him for the rest of his life..."
"That means..."
"That's right Mr Weasley, I don't have any wands here that are for you," said Ollivanders. "Still, if you wish, I can make a custom wand perfectly compatible with you"
I couldn't believe I had such bad luck not to have found a wand, but I began to believe that perhaps the reason this happened was that I didn't really belong in this time, I was an anomaly.
Now, the best option I had was, as Ollivanders said, to have a wand specifically tailored for me.
The only problem is that creating a customized wand to be 100% compatible with a wizard is extremely expensive, and although I have saved a considerable amount of galleons to get everything I need for my first year at Hogwarts without having to use second-hand or inherited items like the rest of the Weasleys, if I decide to commission Ollivanders for a custom wand, I would have to use a large portion of my savings, which would mean I'd have to buy school supplies and perhaps even second-hand robes...
And that was unacceptable.
The other option was to continue using the wand Aunt Muriel had given me until I got more money, but for a wizard, their wand is vital and the most important thing of all.
It was a tough decision..., yes, I really hated not having money.
I could ask Aunt Muriel for more money, but I had already asked her a lot over the years to ask for more now.
"Oh, I forgot, Mr. Weasley, if you decide to accept my proposal, I'll only charge you the minimum for the wand."
"The minimum?"
"That's right, since I haven't been able to give you a suitable wand, I consider it my responsibility to make a wand for you, and I would be delighted if you accepted my proposal."
"In that case, I would like to accept."
"Perfect, I just need you to provide me with a few more details, and in a few weeks, I assure you'll have your wand..."
...
...
"Very well, that will be all, Mr. Weasley. I will send an owl to inform you when your wand is finished."
I just nodded gratefully and bid farewell.
Then I wrapped myself in the black cloak I had come in with to avoid being recognized.
Before leaving Ollivanders' shop, I glanced at the already dark and empty cobblestone streets.
And after taking one last look at the shadows of Diagon Alley to make sure there was no one around, I began to walk silently out of Ollivanders' shop.
I had to quickly return to the Burrow before anyone else returned.
It was a shame to have come to Diagon Alley and not be able to buy anything, but at least I would get a wand specifically tailored for me. One less thing to worry about.
...
By the time I left Ollivanders', it was already night...
Diagon Alley at this hour was nothing more than a depressing shadow of its normally cheerful and bustling self.
Without the crowd of happy witches and wizards bustling back and forth doing their daily shopping, the Alley seemed gloomy and deserted.
At this hour, most of the shops were already closed, and the few merchants still around were closing their shops as quickly as they could, looking around cautiously as if expecting to be attacked.
You never knew in these times.
Although You-Know-Who had been gone for almost 10 years, there was still evil in the wizarding world, as well as many dark wizards willing to harm others, and at night was when these dangerous wizards usually came out to do their activities.
No one was really safe, and anything was possible, so you had to be careful.
Furthermore, now I was a Weasley, not a Malfoy, the dangers were even greater for me, I could no longer rely on the help and influence of my family name or my father.
And with the vast majority of the shop doors closed, if something were to happen, I wouldn't be able to get help from anyone.
Walking practically alone through the shadowy cobblestone streets with the only available light in the dimly lit street being the moonlight and the light peeking through some of the windows on the second floor of the flats above the shops, was a risk.
At least I had a wand...
...
I continued to slowly wander down the deserted street with only the moon as my guide, passing by a closed food shop with its empty tables and chairs on the pavement, until I stopped in front of a group of beggars - outcasts from the wizarding world who were right at the entrance to another narrow alley that had the words painted in blood-red paint; 'Knockturn Alley'.
It was then that a memory of a similar situation came to my mind when I was Draco Malfoy and was walking with Lucius Malfoy:
[ "Dad! Hey, Dad, please wait up!" call out desperately a small figure, about the size of a seven year old.
"Hurry Draco" said a taller figure, with long, silvery-white hair and a sharp pointed nose, would have been a fairly handsome man, were it not for the look of disgust and impatience stamped all over his face. The younger one was almost a mirror image of his father, yet with shortly cropped hair, and wide, grey eyes which held nothing but plaintive innocence.
"Daddy, please!"
Lucius Malfoy paused for a brief moment, more for the sake of making his son be silent than to actually let him catch up, then began striding down the street again.
"Call me father, Draco. And we must make it to the White Wyvern before it reaches nine o'clock. There is no time for us to dawdle. Now, move along!"
The young Draco trailed after his father, stumbling slightly on the uneven paving stones.
"Can't I maybe-"
"No."
Draco, infuriated, scuffed the ground with his trainer.
His father never let him do anything, and now he had to come along on this infuriating expedition to the White Wyvern, which, for him, served no purpose. It was just for his father to meet up to do some business, which he wouldn't tell Draco about, either. Defiantly, he scampered to the gutter of the alley, and walked along the ledge, balancing, with his arms out wide. He deliberately waved his arms about, hoping to catch his father's eye, but he was ignored.
Lucius Malfoy merely continued advancing up the street. Draco jumped off the edge, and began to walk along the groove between the sidewalk next to the shops and the road. As he walked, he kicked up the rubbish lying in the trench. Broken wands, discarded wrappers, old Wanted posters of Death Eaters.
Suddenly, Draco kicked something hard, slamming his toe into it. He yowled, and then glanced up at his father hopefully, but he still didn't turn around.
Draco sighed, and knelt down carefully, foraging through the muck to find what he had walked into. His hands groped blindly through the rubbish, closing on an incredible variety of things, before finally grasping a small drawstring bag. He withdrew it from the litter, and held it up in the dying light.
There was nothing special about it, it was merely heavy, and clinked when he shook it. Draco swiftly pulled the strings, and emptied the contents of the bad into his waiting palms…
"Money!" Draco muttered. There were about twenty Knuts sitting in the bag, discarded on the side of the alley.
"Dad, Dad! Look Dad, I found-"
"DRACO! We have to get there before nine o'clock for the meeting, and you know I want to meet up with Travers beforehand to discuss something important to our whole family's welfare! I don't care what you have; just forget it and move on!"
Draco hissed under his breath, and tucked the Knuts into his cloak pocked.
As the last shreds of light quickly drained from the Alley, the night life began to appear.
Shadows, hunched over, crept out of the cracks between the buildings. Not animals- humans.
Draco's eyes widened even further, and he strayed towards the nearest one, transfixed.
Lucius noticed them quickly, and turned to find his son.
He stared with horror as Draco moved slowly towards one as though in a trance.
"Draco!"
His son twitched, but did not turn.
"Draco, come here!"
Draco head turned slightly, then he seemed to shake it, and mutter something under his breath. He stopped a few metres away from the beggar.
"Dad, who are these people?"
"Beggars, Draco. Filthy, good for nothing beggars- outcasts from the wizarding world! They should all be locked up! Setting bad examples to all in the wizarding community, giving purebloods a bad name. Shamefully, a few are purebloods"
"But-" Draco attempted to say something but Lucius spoke again quickly and stopped him from saying more.
"Always remember, we have nothing to do with them. They are merely outcasts. See how they crowd the once empty streets? This is all they are good for. Polluting the street, and thus, the world"
Draco scoffed. He took two small steps, until he stood right in front of the first beggar. He could hear the complaints and orders of his father coming from behind him, but they were dim, incomprehensible. He ignored them, and reached into his pocket.
He withdrew the small bag of Knuts from the folds of his cloak, and tipped out onto his waiting palm. He could feel his father's furious glare boring into the back of his head, but he disregarded it, focusing all his attention onto the hunched man in front of him.
"Who are you?" Draco ask.
"Young man, my name is J- Jack"
"Take this then, Jack" Draco held out the coins, and it was received with shaking hands. The man croaked out a thankyou, his voice trembling with gratitude.
"It's not often we get nice young men like you taking pity on us. Hardly anybody does that nowadays. Everyone believes that we pollute the wizarding world, but it's not our fault we're like this. We're trying to rid it of pollution, we're trying to get rid of You-Know-Who and their followers. Even if she is gone, her followers are the ones who now are really polluting the world. Everyone calls us outcasts, young man, but do you know, we once had hopes and dreams as well…"
Draco opened his mouth to reply, feeling the words on his tongue, but before he could say anything, they were jerked out from between his teeth, as his father dragged him back to the centre of the alley.
"You little idiot! What do you think you're doing, talking to them! What did you give him?"
Wordlessly, Draco held out the bag.
"Money! You gave them money! Well then, wasn't that nice?"
Draco didn't miss the cutting sarcasm in his father's voice. It sliced through him like a knife.
"I saved one for you, Dad!"
Lucius snarled, his top lip curling up in contempt. He raised his arm, and knocked the coin out of his son's hand, sending it clattering to the ground, where it spun on its edge for a moment, then lay still.
"Are you my son? Are you a Malfoy?"
Draco's eyes were fixed on his fathers, unable to move them.
"Yes Daddy"
"Draco I told you many times already you should call me father. Understood?"
"Y-Yes Father"
"Good, now! Do you care about our family name?"
"Er, yes Father"
"Then you need to be more like me. Otherwise, you will end up like those beggars. Outcasts"
"But-"
"But nothing! It's time I taught you a little lesson. One every pureblood worth his salt must know. Listen to me, Draco" Lucius' eyes were cold and hard, like flat grey pebbles. "They are all bad and superfluous. Do you understand me? None of them should matter to you"
"But I thought they were good! Diggory said they were-"
"You're forbidden to ever speak to that boy again! Listen. They. Are. All. Bad. Including Diggory, or any of his family, they are no better than the Weasley family. I'm talking about keeping the traditions and status that define us as pure-blooded wizards. Families like the Weasley's or the Diggory's may seem respectable because of their past history, but they no longer share our vision and are no longer committed to either the blood purity or our higher social status"
"But Da-Father, what if they want to change?"
"Don't be so stupid, Draco. They brought this upon themselves by picking the wrong side. They deserve this. They're fighting a losing battle. Don't feel sorry for them. They are no longer different to the filthy mudbloods. Learn to hate them, and not to pity them. It's all they deserve"
"Then what should I do?"
"Be selective. Surround yourself with those who truly understand and value what it means to be a pureblood. The magical society is full of those who are not worthy of your consideration. We must not allow such people to taint our blood and our heritage," Lucius Malfoy started.
"Draco, us Malfoy's are descended from wizards and witches who have kept their lines pure and untainted. We must not allow them to mix with those who do not share our noble lineage"
"My son, there is a fundamental truth that you must understand. We Malfoy's are the bearers of a magical heritage that extends back to immemorial times. This bloodline is our greatest treasure and, as such, we must protect it with everything in our power"
"Just keep in mind, as a Malfoy, you are a guardian of our inheritance as pure-blooded wizards. Stand up for our tradition and make sure that only the right kind of people enter the sphere of your life, permit only those deemed worthy"
"You need to be proud, Draco, and keep to yourself. Only give to those of value, such as your family" Lucius concluded.
Draco only nodded, and held the door open for his father as they entered the White Wyvern ]