Thanks To A Snake

Chapter 7

"Mother, may I come in?" Draco Malfoy stood in front of the door to his mother's room. He had continued his research into his family history, particularly Augustus Malfoy. The man commanded respect from his peers not by bribery and fear, but by earning it. He was a powerful duelist and statesmen, something he had previously thought his father was. That was until he looked more closely at the conversations he had with his father, and the conversations he had easily dropped in on that his father had with his mother and other colleagues. They didn't respect his father they feared him; he was a criminal.

Draco had searched through his family library and had finally found Augustus' head of house memoir, it looked as if Nero had tried to destroy it, but had to settle for burying it in the least used section of the library. Draco didn't even know it was there previously. He had read through the journal, and had absorbed all he could from it. Augustus used knowledge to get what he wanted, now he was still cunning enough to live up to the Malfoy name, something Draco had thought his father had done. But Draco had used the cunning he showed promise of when he was little, and still listened to his mother, and convinced his father to bring him along to the Ministry when the emergency meeting was held. He separated from his father and went to the archive department where he charmed the elderly witch clerk and used a bit of the Malfoy name to gain access to the archives without her help or his father. He claimed a school project. Once he was past the clerk, he went straight to the court records and found his father's trial, if you could call it that. Even Draco at twelve could tell that it was a farce. His father claimed the imperious curse, something that Draco thought meant you were a spineless weakling if you were susceptible to. He also looked at other Death Eater trials and found their crimes horrifying: there were rapes, muders, and looting, and some of it was against half-bloods and purebloods. Draco had to stop himself from throwing up at the discovery of Evan Roiser's crimes. 'No wonder Fitzroy gets upset whenever somebody brings up his father.'

"Come in Dragon." Narcissa Malfoy spoke in a loving tone. "What has been bothering you lately Draco?" As Narcissa spoke Draco came over and sat with his mother, picking up her hair brush and started brushing her hair, as he did when he was little. It was comforting for years, but now he had been ignoring his mother at his father's behest.

"I was given a book by another Slytherin, when my arrogant attitude became a problem," Draco spoke with a rather wry tone as if he understood. "The book talked about Augustus Malfoy."

"Ahh, so that explains the change," Narcissa spoke. When Draco paused brushing she continued. "A welcome change, Draco."

He continued brushing. "I don't want to be like father, I read the archives at the Ministry." Narcissa faintly smiled into the mirror at Draco. "I will not become a Death Eater, I know father expects the Dark Lord to return but I won't fight for him. I will not become a murderer and rapist, I will not bow to him."

Draco had stopped brushing his mother's hair and had spoke with a conviction she had never heard in his voice. Narcissa turned around and pulled Draco into a hug. "Good, I will support you always."