Breaking Free (Book 3 of the Lost Potter Series)

Breaking Part 1

"Oh Blessed Day! What an honour, Draco!" Bellatrix had been crying various sayings of the same idea for the last week, but today was truly the day.

Today was the day Lord Voldemort wanted Draco's report about Draco's two missions: the Death of Albus Dumbledore and the Conversion of Olivia Potter.

Of course, his family had been training him how to especially address the Dark Lord for the entire week leading up to the fateful day, but Draco knew as soon as he was faced with any sort of direct questions he was going to forget everything about exactly how to bow or smile or not smile when appropriate. He had been in the Dark Lord's company before, sure, but never as personally as this meeting was sure to be.

And, somehow even worse, Draco was expected to give Olivia the remedy to the Amortentia during the meeting so that the Dark Lord could "test her allegiance". Draco hated seeing Olivia like this but knew snapping her out of it in front of the DarkLord was going to hellish at best. He could just hope that he wouldn't hurt her (and that his father would stay far away from the room).

Draco woke up sweating and exhausted. A bad omen to be sure, but he rose and dressed in exactly what he was instructed to wear nonetheless. The bottle of remedy was supplied to him by Snape, of course, and Draco slipped it carefully into his pocket as he descended the stairs to his fate.

"Draco, are you ready? Have you eaten? Do you have the potion?" His mother began to fret over him as soon as he got within her eyesight. She had never been as bad as this before, but Draco knew that the Dark Lord brought out the most anxious side of his parents.

"It's alright, everything's alright." Draco tried to push her away as she began fussing with his hair. In reality he was very not ready, had absolutely no appetite, and could practically feel the potion burning a hole in his pocket. He felt ready to break down at any moment, but put up his defences and tried to keep it together as best he could.

"Of course it is," Lucius Malfoy laid a particularly tight grip onto Draco's shoulder as he addressed his only son, "Today is absolutely no stress at all, right Draco?"

Draco nodded with a lump in his throat.

"That's my boy," Lucius said quietly with a crazed look in his exhausted eyes, "Why don't you make sure our friend is awake and presentable for the Dark Lord?"

'Our friend' was his father's rather unfortunate code name for Olivia. Draco cringed every time it was said, the image of Olivia beaten down at his father's hands resurfacing constantly. It was bad enough that Draco needed to constantly convince his father not to pay 'their friend' a visit whenever his father got particularly stressed out.

Draco had begun to wish that Olivia had never been captured, as good as it was to see her again. Despite him now knowing for certain where she was and that she was safe and fed at all times, the potions and dangerous forces that wished to prey upon her made Draco want to get her as far from this place as possible.

These thoughts were heavy on Draco's mind as he made his way towards the cellar. On his way, he was stopped by Professor Snape with a cold stare.

"Do you have the potion?" Was Snape's to the point address.

Draco nodded once again.

"Very well. You will also need to give her an extra dose of this," He handed a vial of the power-dampening potion over to Draco, "For safety's sake. And I must warn you to keep your thoughts quieter, Draco."