Draco Malfoy And The Sorcerer's Stone

Chapter One: The Manor

The Malfoy legacy went back hundreds of years ago, and by the look of their grand estate such a legacy came as no surprise. Every hall exhibited countless doors, many of which had not been opened in years. Every room contained priceless heirlooms that were worth more than an average person's salary. There were no family photos hung on the wall. There were no Christmas cards pinned to the refrigerator. The decor consisted of large garish paintings of serious looking men and women, and gaudy marble statues. There was no evidence of summertime, no glint of sunlight that was able to penetrate the thick dark green drapes that covered every window. In fact, the overall aura of the manor was cold and frigid like a never-ending winter.

Such a quiet and refined place might seem like an unsuitable home to the average family. Perhaps such a place would be fun to visit like a museum with all its hidden secrets and treasures, but to live in such a homeless place would make the average person shudder. However, such a place is where Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy continued the tradition of raising their family.

By many accounts Draco seemed as if he was an average eleven year old boy. He enjoyed adventuring outdoors and getting into mischief, but Draco wasn't an average eleven year old boy. Just like the others in his family he could make strange things happen, things that most little boys and girls wouldn't be able to explain.

One time Draco had been playing in his family's garden with the boy of one of his parents' friends. The boy had managed to capture a rabbit and was insisting they drown it in the pond to see what would happen. Draco tried to grab the rabbit, but the boy was a few years older and quite a bit taller than Draco. Next thing Draco knew, the boy went flying across the garden and into the pond head first as if a wicked strong wind had pushed him in. The rabbit had jumped out of his arms during the commotion and hopped out of sight.

While Lucius, the boy's father had been angry that such an unimportant thing as a rabbit's life would elicit such an emotional response from Draco, no one could really blame him. It was common and expected for children who had magical capabilities to accidentally use magic. It was not until they were sent to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that they would learn how to control it. So Lucius and Narcissa had simply helped fetch the boy out of the pond and had the house elves warm him up with cocoa and blankets. That night Lucius had a talk with Draco in his study. "I am not angry that you stood up for a life," Lucius remarked. "But a rabbit? Next time you want to stand up for someone make sure that it's a life worth saving and not one that is so clearly beneath you." Those words really stuck with Draco and made him shudder. Looking into his father's eyes, he wondered if he was talking about more than just rabbits.

The Malfoy family had been made up of witches and wizards for as long as their history had been recorded. Their bloodline was one thing that the Malfoy's were extremely proud of, because not all families had such pure blood. While some families just enjoyed their magical capabilities, the Malfoy's, along with many of the other families with such a long legacy, believed that having a long family line of magic was vital to the family's worth. Although Draco had heard such things from his mother and father, thus knowing it must be true, he did not fully understand or care about bloodlines. Like most young witches and wizards, he just wanted to leave for Hogwarts as soon as possible, and start practicing his magic.

Draco had lived a life that any young wizard would be jealous of. He had the largest room, the biggest yard, and was given the grandest of presents whenever he asked. No expense was ever spared to give him the most comfortable life possible. However, Draco also lived a lonely life void of deep emotional relationships. His mother was rather affectionate when she had the time for him, although both her and Lucius were rather busy people. He was used to the house elves keeping an eye on him as he played alone. Draco also had a small pool of wealthy pureblood friends hand picked by his parents. This caused Draco to covet his future life at Hogwarts where he could get out and make something of himself, to make his parents proud.

On June 5th, Draco's eleventh birthday, Draco's pet owl had dropped a Hogwarts letter right into his lap while he was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes in his large king sized bed. Draco had excitedly ran down the stairs to show his parents before even opening it. He had burst into the living and just opened his mouth when his father had sneered "Draco what have I told you about running in the manor. I have important business to attend to and the last thing I need is you foolishly running amuck."

His mother had then hurried towards him with a small smile "Happy birthday sweetheart," she whispered as she ushered him out of the room. "Mommy and Daddy are a little busy right now but congratulations on your letter and we will celebrate your birthday soon. Now off to the gardens you go, okay?" and she quickly shut the door behind him. Later that night Draco had gotten an extraordinarily fancy birthday dinner with his parents' friends and their kids. For his presents he had received piles of sweets, an old family ring, an expensive trunk with his name engraved on it, and a brand new broom stick that he would not be able to take with him to Hogwarts, as first years weren't allowed. However, the best part of his birthday had been when Narcissa had pulled him into the kitchen before bed and given him a small birthday cake in private. The two of them had shared it and stayed up late chatting about Draco's years to come at Hogwarts.

Draco now sat at the foot of a large oak tree in the back gardens of Malfoy manor. He rested there, lazily reading a book and enjoying the evening breeze. Tomorrow was August first, the day that his family would take him to get his school supplies, exactly one month before the start of term. He felt a small nudge at his hand. He looked down and noticed Niklaus, his large eagle owl, begging for treats. Draco laughed and reached into his pocket for a small bit of bacon he had swiped from the kitchen earlier. Niklaus hooted with approval and then closed his eyes for a small nap. Together they feel asleep in the Summer sun, dreaming about their soon to be future at Hogwarts.