Alone Together

Betrayal

"Draco?" his father's voice wafted towards him.

"Father?" he called out in confusion.

"Draco, come back." his father's voice sounded almost sad. His father was never sad.

A bluish light slowly morphed into the shape of his father, with it's hand outstretched.

"If you take my hand, you will be transported back to Malfoy Manor, back to me and your mother."

"You said I was dead to you," he spat.

"We all say things we shouldn't in front of the Dark Lord, son."

Draco hesitated. It was unlike his father to change his mind. It was however, not above his father to fake feelings to manipulate people into doing things. Though it could be true that his father had just said what he said to convince the Dark Lord that he was so invested in being a follower that he would send away, sacrifice his son.

But it had felt so real. Draco was almost sure his father had meant what he said.

"How can I be sure it's not a trap?" he asked. "How can I be sure you won't torture me the second I get back?"

The blue image of his father chuckled.

"I see I raised you right,"

Despite his efforts to convince himself that he hated his father, that he didn't need him, that if he was dead to his father, that his father was dead to him, Draco still felt a flicker of pride. Praise from the Malfoy head of the house was exceedingly rare.

The figure of his father sighed.

"I'm going to tell you something I should have told you a long time ago."

Draco raised his eyebrow. Rarely had he ever heard his father so solemn. The last time his father had sounded this gravely serious had been when he warned Draco to be careful fixing the Vanishing Closet his sixth year. He almost scoffed at the irony.

"Draco, you will always be my son. After I sent you away I realized that. I don't want you to suffer any longer."

The words hit him hard. He couldn't breathe.

This was not what he had expected.

No matter how much he hated to admit it, Draco had always looked up to his father, and how he seemed unbreakable, and always managed to survive no matter what. Draco wanted to be like that. He had never been sure that if he left for good, or died, that his father would care, or show emotion. But this message from him showed a tiny bit of vulnerability, a tiny bit of emotion.

That perhaps Lucius Malfoy did need his son, and did love him.

"Come home, Draco."

"Can you promise I won't be hurt?"

"I won't let the Dark Lord touch you again. I should have protected you."

"Won't you be punished?"

"I am no longer one of his most trusted advisors, and am assigned to more....unsavory tasks, but it's bearable," the blue image of his father admitted.

Would his father really sacrifice his position with the Dark Lord for Draco? Did he really mean his words. What if they weren't true. Draco closed his eyes.

Then that would mean his father really didn't care about him, or what happened to him. He had tried to convince himself that it was true, but there was always a stupid single breath of hope that refused to leave. Whenever he looked at anyone else with their parents. It seemed to come naturally to everyone else. Perhaps deep inside his father there was something there that cared for Draco.