Darkness Falls

Six

1991 - First Year

Draco and his father arrived back at the Manor hours later and the second Draco stepped through the threshold he dropped to his knees and threw up. Everything he had witnessed, every conversation he had been privy to hit him at once and his stomach could no longer take it as he emptied it onto the floor of the drawing room. Once he felt like he had nothing left, he dared a glance at his father who he half expected to be looking down on him in disgust but instead he knelt beside him and hovered closely but did not touch him, oddly, Draco found the closeness comforting enough. "Your stomach will become stronger the more you subject yourself to the darkness of this world. I know it wasn't what you expected and I didn't warn you of anything but that's because you needed to see it for yourself, you needed to see how bad it can get. If the dark lord ever returns.. you have no idea what will become of this world," Lucius couldn't bring himself to look at his son as he spoke.

A crack in the room brought the men's attention back to the present and Lucius stood up immediately and left the room. "Master Draco are you sick?" Dobby asked as he rushed over to clear up the mess he'd mad,

"I just haven't eaten a lot today and I think travelling by Floo didn't agree with me on an empty stomach that's all. Don't worry about me I'll be fine,"

"can Dobby get Master Draco anything? Some food? A drink perhaps?"

"No Thankyou Dobby, I think I'm just going to go straight to my room, but if you check with me in about an hour I might feel differently," Dobby nodded as he finished cleaning the floor and left the room.

It took a few moments for Draco to bring himself to his feet, his legs still felt like jelly as he left the room. He made his way to his bedroom, passing his fathers study on the way where he could hear raised voices,

"I heard him throwing up the second you got back. This is exactly what I warned you about Lucius! He shouldn't be doing this, he's far too young, and Goyle is a vile human being, it's not right that you would force him to experience such harsh realities so soon,"

"Cissy, you didn't see him. He handled it so well, I didn't know what I was walking into as much as he did. When we arrived and the Mudblood was being tortured I half expected him to faint or throw up on the spot, but he didn't. Instead he stood, observed like I asked him too and then when he was asked a question he answered without hesitation or sutured. I knew he was struggling inside and all he would've wanted to do was run and scream but he stood strong and showed them that he is a Malfoy and he will not be intimidated!"

"He will not go to another meeting for the rest of christmas. You can wait until he's back from school in the summer during the holidays before you drag him to another meeting, and if I see Goyle any time soon!" Narcissa had calmed slightly, she didn't continue her threat, her voice was strong and there wasn't a chance she was having her mind changed about this. Draco couldn't see his parents but he knew from the tone in his mother's voice that his father was not going to argue with her on this. He continued his slow route back to his room, relaxing ever so slightly after over hearing that he wasn't going to have to attend another meeting until he had finished school in the new year.

~x~

Upon New Years Eve, Malfoy Manor had been stripped of Christmas decorations and replaced with sophisticated party decorations in preparation for the annual New Years Eve event. Narcissa was working with several house elf's to ensure that everything was perfect for when the guests arrived whilst Lucius had hid away in his study. Draco decided that his father had the right idea to get out of the way and so he packed a bag, grabbed his broom and flew off from the patio across the small lake to the centre island where he was completely alone. This was Draco's favourite place to go at home. Whenever his father had told him off or his friends didn't come round to play, he would fly to this island and spend sometime alone with his books, which is exactly what he intended to do today, only this time he also planned to send a letter to Hermione. He hadn't had any time at all to come to his hiding place since he arrived at home. If he wasn't studying or running errands with his father, he was taking Occlumency lessons with his mother. Something he hated but he knew was a necessary evil. The only progress he had managed to make was to slightly muffle conversations out. His mother could access the memory still and she could see who he was talking to and their proximity but she could no longer understand what was being said. She had told him this was a huge achievement but he didn't feel that it was.