REBORN

Chapter 3: Fallen Heir Reborn

Draco turned away from the window keeping his eyes straight ahead he walked over to the bathroom connected to the dorm. He stared at his reflection in the mirror. He was no longer a Malfoy, and he no longer needed to follow his father's rules. Now he wondered, who was he? He no longer had to keep the iconic Malfoy characteristics, the gray eyes, the platinum hair, he could change that now.

He reached for the power inherited from his mother's side, a power he had not touched in many years due to his father's insistence. He watched closely as he loosened his hold on the magic and allowed his hair to change. Shadow slowly bled from his roots until his hair was pitch black.

He stared at his new reflection, he looked like a vampire with his hair contrasting so sharply with his skin. He lightened the color slightly adding a bluish pigment. It still didn't look right, Draco was so used to the shocking white of his hair that he couldn't recognize himself without it. He tilted his head and tried again. He thought of his mother, as a jagged white stripe cut its way across his head just along his right temple, he added a similar stripe through his right eyebrow as well. He snorted loudly.

The entire point of the changes was to distance himself from them, not to look like the other parent. Draco continued to stare at himself. He wished he could make himself just a tad tanner, however, he had not practiced this talent long enough to be able to control skin tone.

Draco bowed his head, who was he? His family used to be such a large part of his identity. That was gone now. He looked up. Perhaps not. He wasn't the first pureblood to be disowned. Sirius Black was disowned for the very same thing he was disowned for. Perhaps he would lean into it. His hair darkened again, this time mixed with a deep brown. He stared at his eyes again, he liked the Malfoy grey, but still wanted a change. This magic was more challenging to hold but Draco was determined, his slate gray turned silver.

Finally, Draco looked at his blood and ash-covered hand, symbolizing his new life. He ran his hand under the sink's cold water and watched as the wound was revealed. It was deeper than he had meant to cut it. Draco knew many healing spells, yet he did not reach for his wand. He wanted this one to scar. As a reminder.

Draco held his towel against his wound as he re-entered the dorm. The chattering between the boys in the dorm cut off as he walked to his bed. The other boys seemed to have clustered around Longbottom, which made sense as he was the only one who would know the ritual that was just performed.

Longbottom broke the silence first. "Mal-" He started. "Erm. Draco, do you need to go to the infirmary?"

Draco stared at him for a moment before accepting the olive branch. Draco couldn't afford to make any more enemies. "No. Thank you." He said with no hint of venom in his voice.

"Are you sure? You were bleeding a lot, it'll probably scar pretty bad." Longbottom said his unwarranted concern tainting his voice.

"You know as well as I that it is meant to scar," Draco said no longer making eye contact.

"Yeah, I guess." Silence fell awkwardly.

"Malfoy-" Potter began heatedly.

"I am not a Malofy" Draco broke in. "I'll be changing it at the ministry shortly. But do not call me that."

Potter and the rest stared at him. Draco sighed. They clearly did not understand. "As I'm sure Longbottom has told you," Draco began. "That was a pureblood ritual. I allowed myself to be cut off from the Malfoy magic. I am disowned, not a Malfoy."

"But, you're underage!" Finnigan burst out.

Thankfully Longbottom spoke before Draco. "That doesn't matter. This is ancient magic. The ministry must accept it."

"But how-" Thomas began.

"I'll make it work!" Draco snapped. He stopped, breathing in. "Sorry. That was... Impolite of me." Don't make enemies. Draco thought.

There was a shocked silence as the boys stared at him. "Yeah..." Thomas said.

Draco nodded slightly and stepped toward his bed to begin unpacking. He pulled out his books and writing equipment and began to organize them in his new desk as he ignored the stares. It was smaller than the one in the Slytherin dorms and Draco could not use the same setup he previously did.

"So.." Weasley said, drawing out the word. "There a reason you look like a vampire?"

Draco sighed. "The white hair was a Malfoy trait I did not care for. I can change it now. So I did." Were Gryfindors incapable of minding their own business?

"But how? Do wizards even have hair dye?" Finnigan asked.

Draco looked up at the ceiling. "Yes. Wizards do have hair dye but I am a metamorphagus. I can change certain features." Draco said shortly. Slytherins didn't ask this many questions.

Potter turned to Weasley, "Like Tonks!" he said quietly but not quietly enough. This seemed to spark enough conversation that he was not asked any more uncomfortable questions. Draco ignored them as he climbed into bed without even bothering to change his clothes. He threw a silencing charm on his bed curtains and began to strategize for his future.

First, he needed to legally change his last name. Draco considered changing his name to his mother's maiden name, Black, technically he still had a claim to that name. But the more Draco considered it, the more wrong it felt. Draco needed a real change. This was a new life, a new chance. He considered Latin, many spells were in Latin. Reborn. Draco was reborn into a new life. Reborn in Latin... Renatus. It was probably ostentatious but no one had ever accused Draco of being humble.

Draco Renatus. It still felt wrong. His middle name was Lucius, named after his father. Draco had always hated it, but it felt odd to not have a middle name. He considered the Black name again... Draco Black Renatus. Draco B. Renatus... DBR. It was no Draco Lucius Malfoy, but it would do. He would have to get into the ministry and get it legally changed as soon as he could.

The next major goal was to support himself and be able to prove it to the courts before summer. Draco sighed. This was a huge goal, but he was determined not to enter ministry care. He had a lot of work to do and it had to happen while he was at school.

Draco considered his godfather, or rather his former godfather. He always complained about the apothecary's quality. Draco knew he had made exemplary potions before. He knew he was quite ahead of many other potioneers. Draco would have to get certified and he would have to offer something more if he wanted to compete with the apothecary. Draco leveraged himself out of bed quietly grabbing his parchment and self-inking quill. Potter twitched in his bed as Draco's quill scratched his parchment.

1. Change name

2. Evaluate funds

3. Get certified - Snape?

4. Buy/rent building/shop

5. Set up/establish building

6. Promote business

7. Expand business

Laid out like this it did not seem that large of a task... He scoffed at that thought. It was a huge task. He needed to speak to McGonagall, as his new head of house only she could grant permission for him to leave school. He glanced out the window, the sky was still dark. He has some time before he can justify being up and about.

Breathing out a short puff of air, Draco scribbled a couple more notes and ideas for his future business. Draco knew a little bit about finances, administration, and general running of a business from... well from before. He knew his way around the legal side of business. With Lord Malfoy's illegal activity, he knew the laws regarding business, abuse, terrorism (and disownment) very well.

The tough part would be convincing everyone that a fourteen-year-old was capable of running a business, getting ingredients, and finding time... and and and. Too many ands. Draco thought. There were going to be a lot of tough parts.

Draco laid back in bed and stared at the fabric draping of the four-poster bed. There was so much to do, yet he was stuck in school and could not do what he knew he needed to. Draco ran his hands through his hair. Gods. He thought as he opened the first of his legal books he needed to ensure he knew these laws like the back of his hand.