Draco Malfoy and the Mirror of Ecidyrue

Part 5: Draco Malfoy and the Talon Brand

Summary:

A man is dead at Draco Malfoy's hands, and the consequences will reverberate for Sirius, for Harry, for the wizarding world entire, and, most of all, for Voldemort. It is not so easy, though, to forsake his parents and his old friends in Slytherin, as he is forced to choose what he will become and who he will leave behind. The only certainty left to Draco is his own power, which is becoming stronger and stranger and more and more dangerous.

Almost as dangerous as how much he loves Harry Potter.

: The Antipodean Opaleye

Chapter Text

Once again, Sirius had wiped the floor with him, and knowing what Draco knew about the year to come, he could only take that as a very good sign.

They left their so-called dueling room, which Remus called the Fire Safety Hazard Room, and Draco tromped straight down to the cauldrons, which were tucked away where Kreacher had used to keep the linens. No one knew where Kreacher kept them or almost anything now. They just considered themselves lucky that Kreacher kept cooking and cleaning for them, and hadn't yet tried to burn 12 Grimmauld Place to the ground with all of them inside it.

"You'll get him one of these days," Remus said, smiling as he read the story of the duel from Draco's filthy, soot-covered state. Remus was crouched over checking on the Wolfsbane, and smiled wider when Draco dropped himself exhausted on the ground beside him, to check on the angel's infusion. With Severus having dropped off the map the past few weeks, Draco was responsible for brewing it for himself. "It should be ready, it's the right color, isn't it? Go on, wash off-"

"Wash off the stench of failure?" Sirius finished, lounging in the doorway smug and unblemished as a conquering hero. "Yes, you should do that, Draco, I could smell it from upstairs. It's either that, or just your sweat. I gave him a real work-out, you know, Remus. Toyed with him before I delivered the killing blow."

"Yes, you have once again managed to beat up our fifteen-year-old ward, I'm so impressed," Remus deadpanned, only to laugh louder when Sirius came up behind him, hugging him and pulling him back and forth. "Not over the Wolfsbane, you savage, that's important!"

"I'm important..." Sirius whined, in that childish tone he often resorted to for Remus's attention. Draco got himself a large bottle of the infusion before smirking over at his uncle.

"You only keep winning," Draco said with a haughty sniff, "Because I'm not allowed to use dark magic. The first time that restriction gets relaxed, I wipe the floor with you-"

"Draco," Remus reminded him for the fiftieth time, "You know we're trying to wane you off the dark magic, sweetheart," and Draco made his most innocent, helpless face at him.

"I know, Remus," he said, letting his voice tremble, "It's just that Uncle Sirius is so strong, I get scared," and when Remus turned to Sirius in outrage, pushing Sirius off to glare at him accusingly, that was Draco's cue to stroll out nonchalantly. Sirius glared at him over Remus's shoulder, and Draco winked at him before closing the door.

Before taking his bath, he took a Polaroid down off the wall to sit with him. He had his long angel's infusion then, with the one picture of Harry Potter with him, to sit beside him on the rim of the tub. In it, Harry was still and unmoving and confident, in his Triwizard champion robes with Draco a nervous wreck fussing over him to the side. Hermione had taken it before the First Task, and if Draco folded over the half with him on it, that was the beauty of Muggle photos. He could erase himself, without fear his image would just cross over to the other side to get nearer to Harry again.