Draco Malfoy, Broken

Chapter 26 - The Unwelcoming Feast

26 - The Unwelcoming Feast

Published: 11/4/2018

***TRIGGER WARNING*** - for child and spousal abuse

The pounding on the door stopped after they heard Harry's voice echoing through the hall. Draco relaxed back into his seat, immediately. He knew Harry would handle everything.

"I think that was Potter," Blaise said and then heard him yelling Stupefy. "Yep... well that solves that problem."

Draco shivered, just hearing his voice. How the hell was he supposed to get through a whole year of this? Blaise's dark brown eyes stared at him, almost accusingly. Draco looked past Daphne out the window, rain was coming. Storm clouds billowed overhead, blocking the sun, bringing early night. Draco didn't like it at all. It was ominous foreshadowing of what was to come tomorrow.

He watched as ice crusted the window, strange it being only the first of September, but the chill spread. He tightened up against the cold that would never leave him. His toes were still red and stiff from his time in Azkaban when Vance took his clothes. He was freezing, though.

"Are you guys cold?" he asked them, just before the darkness dragged him under.

"Imperio!" his father growled.

Draco felt blissful happiness for about one second, followed nearly immediately by confusion and fear. His control was gone. He could feel his father's willpower driving his movements, guiding him like a puppet.

Lucius Malfoy stepped in front of him. "This is your fault. If you would behave and act properly... none of this would be necessary."

Draco wanted to cry, he felt he was hyperventilating, but his body wasn't responding to his emotions. His panic was growing. A hand tremor managed to escape his father's hold and, unfortunately, Lucius noticed it. He whacked him hard on the arm, the pain coursed through his mind, like the spot was on fire, but his body betrayed no emotion or movement other than the initial hit. Lucius kept a strong hold on him.

"Don't you dare fight it, boy! Anything happens... any mishaps... I'll leave it on you for days. I won't let you sleep or eat, you understand me?"

"Yes, father," he chanted, having no choice in the matter... literally.

His rapid heartbeat was the only sign that he was in a complete state of panic. Last time, his father had left it on him for hours forcing him to sit couched down in an uncomfortable position. He couldn't stand up, he couldn't rest his legs. The pain and stress grew to unbearable levels, but he couldn't move or call for help. He could not even plead with his father to stop the pain and release him. He hadn't even done anything for that punishment. Lucius just wanted him to understand who was in charge. Slytherins are about power.

Most people were afraid of the Cruciatus Curse or even Avada Kedavra... but Draco feared the Imperius Curse above all the other curses. There was nothing he do could to fight it. It didn't stop, he couldn't even lessen the pain. Like with the Cruciatus Curse, after the spell was lifted, he still followed the commands almost like they were tremors. His father didn't have to keep telling him what to do. His father could sleep soundly, while he was still trapped, unable to move. His mind could feel the pain, but his body didn't show it.

However, with Lucius's threat of days of pain and helplessness, Draco had play along, force himself to calm down and play attention to his father's every instruction. He felt himself smile, bow, shake hands and offer welcoming words to his father's guests that he did not know. His father's words came out and he responded as his father controlled him to, not betraying how afraid he was of bungling it up.