lucius malfoy 🐍 (leucistic) wrote in raveled, @ 2017-12-31 06:35:00 |
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Entry tags: | ! decade: 1990s, ! log, lucius malfoy |
WHO: Lucius and Draco Malfoy
WHEN: 31 August 1997
WHAT: Saying good-bye the night before school starts; Draco's perspective
WARNINGS: Angst, references to torture
REPOST: Hogweeds
Malfoy Manor no longer felt like his family's home. The worn leather sofa he loved had been claimed and ruined by the Carrows. Half the rooms felt like morgues or another Death Eater's territory he was trespassing. He knew the secret cellar under the drawing room was being used as a prison and torture chamber; it used to be his favourite hiding place for hide-and-seek as a child. The conservatory where his mother had read fairy tales to him and tutored him in magic was now the home of the Dark Lord's monstrous snake; he'd stopped going there to sit among the plants after finding the remnants of her feeding too many times. Even going for a walk in the courtyard, where his father had taught him to fly, made him feel unsafe and unwelcome, because there was Greyback, creeping around and leering at him. The Dark Lord and Death Eaters had taken over and taken everything – past, present, and future. His stomach knotted as he hurried past the grand fireplace. If he stayed for too long, he could hear Rowle's screams from the night he was forced to torture him after Potter's escape, feel terror clenching his chest every time the Dark Lord had threatened to do the same to him if he couldn't. He wasn't sure which had horrified him more. Both made him feel like the coward and failure he was always being reminded he was these days. At least that was something he and his father could commiserate over. When Draco reached the top of the stairs, he headed straight for the master bedroom. Narcissa was still in his room, helping him pack for school, but he really wanted to see his father. Lucius hid from the others there, though that hadn't stopped Death Eaters from stopping by to sneer and spit at him. They still hadn't forgiven him for landing so many of them in Azkaban (again) – in Bellatrix's case, she loved to gloat over his 'sorry state' instead – and the opportunity to kick the once-lofty Malfoys while they were down was too great to pass up. Lucius was still reading when he got there, though he didn't seem to have turned a page since he had last checked in an hour ago. He'd been looking less ill lately, but ever since the Dark Lord had taken and destroyed his wand, Draco was afraid that his father would deteriorate again. He'd already withdrawn back into his mind. Draco had heard that losing your wand was like losing a part of yourself. That was why none of the Death Eaters had been willing to give theirs up that night. He wasn't sure how much more of his father either of them, or his mother, could afford to lose. "Father?" No response. "Dad, I'm leaving for school tomorrow." No response again. He sighed, turning to leave, when – "That's nice, Draco." Lucius' voice was still hoarse and distant, but it was an improvement over silence. He crossed the room and sat down next to his father on the bed, a flicker of hope in his chest. Anxiously, he rested his head on his shoulder and placed a hand on his wrist. The last time Draco had been physically affectionate with his father prior to his return from Azkaban had been as a child. But Mother said it would help bring him back. He still felt so cold, and there was even a small fire going in the room. "I wish you could see me off for my last year like you're supposed to." "I know." Lucius put his arm around his shoulders. Draco winced; he couldn't help it. He hated that he could feel how much his father had weakened over the last year. And he knew his father couldn't stand how much weight he'd lost himself, carrying out the task that he thought would regain his freedom, but was actually a death sentence. They sat together in silence, until Draco found it too suffocating to stay. He didn't want to start crying again. As he got up, he felt his father's cold, clammy hand suddenly clamp onto his wrist. He was surprised at how strong his grip was. "Draco, if Severus or the Carrows give you a chance to redeem the family ..." "I know." He let his father hold onto him for a little longer, then slipped away. "I guess I'll see you at Christmas then." But with the Dark Lord's wrath still hanging over their heads, he wondered if his good-bye was more final than he had intended. |