SUPRA VIRES

CHAPTER TWO: TWO FAMILIES

5th year

"Narcissa, my dear," spoke Mrs. Arabela Parkinson, gracefully approaching the witch to greet her. The women gave each other a quick hug, followed by faint smiles on their faces.

"You're finally here," added Evan, Arabella's husband, shaking hands with the proudly entering Lucius Malfoy. "And here comes Draco."

A tall, upright, extremely handsome young man stood in the doorway. He had light hair, a pale complexion and gray eyes. By his father's side, he looked like his exact copy from a dozen years ago, which Mr. Parkinson didn't hesitate to comment on.

"Draco, you are becoming more and more like Lucius. I remember, as if it were yesterday, that I met him just like that. We were going to the..."

"That's enough," interrupted Malfoy senior commandingly, turning to his son. "Go get Pansy."

Draco looked at his father blankly. He reluctantly nodded and walked to the end of the hall. He slowly climbed the stairs, wandering through the corridor where everything had its place, even the smallest detail. The vase with dried flowers had to be placed on a large display case, and the gold-encrusted wall clock hung right next to the exhibition consisting of the most important representatives of the Parkinson family. The roof was glass, allowing light to enter.

The rooms also delighted with their splendor and arrangement. Each of them had an individual, carefully selected color scheme, and their styles differed only in where they were located. Those closer to the garage and underground were dark and gloomy, like from the old days, while those located higher were more colorful and contemporary.

Two couples went into the living room at this time.

"Why didn't Pansy come down?" Lucius asked with hidden curiosity. "Is she feeling bad?"

"She said that she had something to do upstairs and that she would come as soon as she heard the guests," replied Mrs. Arabela, justifying her daughter. Apparently she didn't do it very well, because Mrs. Malfoy grimaced in disgust.

"I think," she said, trying to sound polite, "that you're spoiling her a little too much. I get it, she's an only child, but so is Draco. Despite this, we are trying to raise him to be an independent man."

"You're exaggerating, Narcissa," Lucius admonished his wife, shaking his head. "It's one thing with boys and another thing with girls. They just need to look nice to decorate your apartment."

Narcissa, as usual, didn't show it, but she didn't like the man's words. This wasn't the first time she disagreed with her husband, although she never told him about it.

"Exactly, that's right, my friend," Mr. Evan said, clapping at Syffy, his house-elf.

The creature came running. It was quite young, with large, protruding ears and threadbare clothes, symbolizing his captivity.

Evan ordered the house-elf to serve the food and immediately various dishes appeared on the table, ranging from elegant appetizers to dessert.

"How are things with the Dark Lord?" Mr. Parkinson asked Lucius. They both went for a walk on the terrace, leaving the spouses to themselves.

"He's still weak," Mr. Malfoy replied sadly, examining the figurine of the enchanted silver gnome. "Fortunately, he regains his former powers. It will take some time, but you'll see, in the end the Dark Lord will be as powerful as ever. It's coming soon, now we just have to wait patiently."

"And Draco?" Evan asked, thinking about his friend's son. He also wanted to have a male child, but his only child was Pansy. "Are you still going to include him to the Death Eaters? Even though he's still studying at Hogwarts? Wouldn't it be better if he finished school like a normal teenager and then..."

"How do you know there will be then?" Lucius interjected eagerly. "What if he doesn't have that chance again?"

"You misunderstood me," the man began to explain. He moistened his mouth with his tongue to give himself a moment to think. "I just want to know if this is really a good idea... Fifth grade starts in a few days. He shouldn't have to worry about becoming a Death Eater right now, not when he's right under Albus Dumbledore's nose. Isn't finishing school the most important thing?"

"Too many questions and too few that I can answer," Lucius Malfoy said, frowning. "I know one thing. Being a Death Eater is a great honor and distinction. I'm surprised that it can happen to Draco. I know that conspiring with us, even right next to Dumbledore, will be no problem for him. He will do it. The problem, however, will be whether the Dark Lord will trust him. I know he had some doubts."

"Doubts?" Evan was surprised. He realized that he shouldn't interfere with his friend's words, but he couldn't understand something. "Draco has been diligently following all the Dark Lord's orders for several months now. So what's going on?"

"I don't understand it either," Mr. Malfoy said. He looked ahead and sighed. "But maybe Draco doesn't follow his orders so diligently?"

"What? Do you suspect that..."

"I'm not suspecting anything, I'm just jumping to conclusions," Lucius interrupted, thinking about his child. He had been wondering about this for a long time, but only now was he able to voice his doubts out loud. "I'm not sure he wants to be like us..."

"Are you trying to tell me that he's not sure he wants to be a Death Eater and serve the Dark Lord?" Evan seemed horrified by the thought. Mr. Malfoy, on the contrary, stoically replied briefly:

"You said it, my friend."

Ever since Lucius had brought Draco before Voldemort half a year ago, it had seemed to Evan that Malfoy Jr. would one day take his father's place. He would be one of the most dedicated Death Eaters, if not the best of them.

"I'm afraid Draco is simply not suitable," Mr. Malfoy finally said with resignation, dropping his head limply onto his shoulders. "He is not fit to be a person who listens to commands and orders. He prefers to be the person who gives orders and this is where my mistake in raising Draco comes into play. So, you have a spoiled daughter and I have a son who even now doesn't want to listen to me."

"Oh yes..." Mr. Parkinson agreed. "Pansy is different, but I don't know if she's better."

"Are you kidding?" Lucius asked, opening his eyes wide with surprise. He had been observing the girl for a long time and could easily conclude that she would be more suitable for being a Death Eater than his own son. "If I had a daughter like that, I would thank everything that exists on this earth that I have her. He's a real treasure, appreciate it..."

"And if I were you, I would talk honestly to the boy," Mr. Parkinson advised his friend. "Maybe it's just your imagination, maybe he has some problems, not necessarily related to the Dark Lord? Cut him some slack or he'll turn away from you completely."

"Let's get back to Narcissa and Arabela," the other man growled, not looking at Parkinson's expression. If he did, he would see Mr. Evan shake his head disapprovingly. No one likes to listen to other people's advice, and Lucius Malfoy was living proof of that.