Meliorism

00 | the beginning

Prologue

The frigid air surrounding him wasn't the cause of the weak tremors running down his stiff and aching spine, or the chills dancing across the surface of his pale skin.

It was Yaxley's sinister cackle, the crazed look in aunt Bellatrix's eyes as she licked her chapped lips, and the simple thought of all the murderers and psychopaths marching alongside him. They were the best of what was left after the massacre that occurred a year ago.

He furrowed his eyebrows, trying to decipher whether he was just as horrid of a monster as those around him. Numerous similar thoughts skirted across his mind, buzzing like an angry hornets' nest. On typical days, it was quite easy to shove them away with occlumency; hide the weakness from those who sought to exploit it.

But today's mission sent his mind into a frenzy that refused to succumb under the force of magic. The worries and pressures were snake-like in motion, unravelling his composure inch by inch. 

If only he had killed Dumbledore then, on the astronomy tower... Even years later, his mind refused to forget the harsh night air at that moment. He could still feel the sheen of sweat on his skin and the piercing gaze of Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes. One moment of weakness had caused all to collapse in the Malfoy name.

He never had a choice. He understood that concept now while travelling among the others. It didn't matter whether he was a monster or not. At the end of the night, everyone had a dark side during the war. Nothing else should matter outside of the protection of his family.

And after two long years of waiting, the Dark Lord had finally given him another chance to prove his worth. One opportunity to reclaim a position in the inner circle, where he and his mother would be protected yet again.

Draco watched as fallen leaves circled down from the darkened sky, crunching beneath his heavy black boots. The anxiety began to consume his mind, but he forced himself to focus on the coloured leaves on the pavement. Autumn was coming to an end. He could tell from the icy air and frosted pathway. 

Time had gone by quicker than he thought.

It had been a year after Potter's death. With most of the Order vanished from the face of the Earth, those who remained were left to fend off the terror that was now the Wizarding World. There was no hope for the ones left against the Dark Lord's ambitious intentions.

He followed the dangerous crew through several neat rows of muggle houses with a grimace on his face and stiffness in his back. The search had just begun.

Draco glanced up at the full moon, letting the eerie moonlight cast soft shadows between the creases of the horrifying white mask. The cruelly twisted disguise had taken the blame for everything he has done in the past year, but his heart knew the number of lives he had ruined.

No was safe, including those who used to be the richest and purest families of the Wizarding World.

Evil had taken reign once again.

And no one was near ready to stop it.

Welcome to the beginning of the Meliorism journey.

I've already finished chapter one, so it won't be long until I publish that too. Note that this is the only chapter written in third person. Rest of the story is in first person, in Alex Black's perspective.

Thanks for reading!

edited: 05/27/2018
edited: 07/23/2020
rewritten: 07/17/2021