1.
Draco rolled over as the dreaded light began to seep through the thin blinds provided by Hogwarts. That was one thing he missed about the manor, that and the fact he had his own room. He positively could not stand his roommates. Crab and Goyle, who he thought would be the biggest nuisances in his room had turned out to be his saving grace. Theodore Nott couldn’t keep his mouth shut for more than two minutes and Draco was tired from entertaining his antics last night. If father hadn’t been so adamant about creating connections with other heirs he would have hexed Theo quiet.
They were eleven years old for Merlin's sake, and this imbecile acted how his father described mudbloods to.
How dreadful, he wondered, does mudbloods have to be if this is how purebloods act?
“Draco! Are you listening to me? What are you going to do about Potter?” Theo, the ever chatty bloke just couldn’t shut up.
“Just because Potter is so immature that he thinks the Weasel makes a good friend doesn't mean I have to stoop to his level. That gryffindor idiot will realize soon enough what a mistake he’s made” Draco replies snootily, if not just to cover up the fact that Harry Potter didn't like him. After latching onto stories of the other boy for comfort his whole childhood, Draco felt indescribably hurt. Not that Theodore Nott had to know that.
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In second year, he grew into his role as Harry Potter’s enemy. He spat out insults in the halls, hexed his hair green at dinner, and laughed when he messed up in potions class. He covered his own hurt by hurting Potter back. He repeated what his father had called Draco during punishments.
“Are you a squib? Only squibs are that weak.”
“Have you no brain, you stupid boy?”
“You're less than a dog.”
Those always got to Potter more than the ones Draco came up with himself. His mother had always called him soft hearted, and had told him how he couldn't act that way around Father.
After a particularly rough quidditch game, which had ended with Potter getting the snitch, said boy came up to him.
“You’re pathetic, you know that? Only reason you got on the team was Daddy’s money.” He sneered at Draco. “ All you’re good at is picking on people.” With that Harry stomped away, leaving a wide-eyed Draco alone on the pitch.
“As if you’re any better than me Potter!” He hollered at his retreating back and fled to the slytherin change room.
Draco opened the door slowly, knowing that all the older boys were likely kicking up a fuss to Flint about allowing such a bad Seeker to play. There was a quiet second where the boys stared at him, before continuing to complain to Flint. He undressed quickly, attempting to avoid all his unwilling teammates. Pulling off the last of his clothes, he heard a seventh year gripe, “ He’s basically a girl Marcus! What happened to boys only!”
Several boys started to chuckle. Draco pulled his clothes on faster.
“Aww! Is the little girl scared!” Higgs joined in the taunting.
The comments reminded him of Father. Father when he Found Mother putting him in a dress with his hair done and having a tea party. Father when Draco was smaller than the other heirs that came to the manor at Yule. When he was told by doctors that due to his genetics he would likely always be on the smaller side.
“Do you want to go there, Higgs? Imagine what Father would think about the treatment of his only heir? What would your father think?” The boy paled at Draco’s obvious threat. Higgs’ father had been to the manor before, for a party hosted by Narcissa. Draco had met the man and he could tell that Higgs was one of Father’s men. The way he sucked up to him was revolting.
“Perhaps I’ll write about this in my weekly letter to Father,” Draco mused.
“No need for that, we’re just playing around Malfoy!” Higgs lightly shoves him. “Right, Marcus?”
There was no way Draco would ever tell his Father about being compared to a girl. All that would earn him was a beating, but at least it kept Higgs off of him.
—
2.
There was a new teacher that Father couldn’t stand. Dumbledore had appointed Hagrid as the professor of care of magical creatures. When Lucius heard the news, Draco couldn’t walk for a week. His mother healed his broken leg before he went back to Hogwarts, only for Father to fracture his elbow when he stomped on it the next day.
Draco was used to the pain though. He had hid it well until he took out his anger on that wretched hippogriff. It made him so angry, seeing Potter be able to make friends with a beast but not him. He reacted the only way he knew how.
He taunted. Called it worthless, ugly. He really wasn’t surprised when it attacked him. That had been the goal after all. Father had said an incident in Hagrid’s class would surely get him sacked. And for Draco, he might get Madam Pomfrey to fix his elbow and wherever was wrong with his shoulder.
Madam Pomfrey hadn’t fixed his elbow. Said that this was punishment for provoking the animal. She did mend the strained ligament s in his shoulder though, so he counted that as a win.
Neither of his parents came, but he really hadn’t been expecting them to. After all, he was a Malfoy and Malfoys take care of themselves. Madam Pomfrey kicked him out of the infirmary after dinner and told him to rest in the dorms.
Hermione was waiting outside the room.
“Well, I can’t say I was expecting you to wait here for me, mudblood.” Draco smirked at her.”What does Potter’s minion want with me?”
She stomped towards him and griped out,”This has nothing to do with Harry! You are going to get Hagrid fired! And Buckbeak’s on trial now!” She slumped over.”Not even you can be that horrible!”
Draco covered his hurt with a laugh.”That beast shouldn’t even be at Hogwarts, and you want me to help him?”
“Buckbeak doesn’t deserve this!”
“I was talking about Hagrid I believe.”Her face went cherry red and she growled at him. ”Harry was right about you. Are you even injured or is this just some ploy?”
He wet his lips. Did she think he was faking it? Should he agree with her to get her off his back?
“Yeah, keep it quiet though.” He smirked at her while she gave up on him and left him alone in the hallway.
3.
Draco thought that nothing could be worse than fourth year. Fifth year rolled around and proved him wrong. Father was in jail and he had lost the only thing keeping the Dark Lord away from him.
The Dark Lord was angry. So angry at the remaining Malfoy’s for Father’s failing. It started with punishments from Aunt Bella, but now he wanted Draco to take the mark. He said he’d forgive them if he did.
When he got the mark, it was an underwhelming affair. He had been taught for a few months on Occlumency from Aunt Bella on the Dark Lord’s orders. He didn’t want any chance of Dumbledore catching on to his plans. But luckily, defending Draco’s thoughts from the Headmaster also defended them from the Dark Lord.
He had been called up to the head of the table during dinner, and granted the closest seat to Him. Across from him sat Greyback, who always had this perverted look to his face when he saw Draco.
He was asked to show his left arm, and told that the more loyal he was the less it would hurt. It was excruciating from the moment the tip of Voldemort’s wand touched his forearm. He bit down on his lip to keep from screaming while he watched the snake slither onto his skin. It wriggled and curled before stilling on his arm.
The sound of applause brought him back to the present.
“It has been so long since one took the mark silently!” The Dark Lord’s voice sounded uncharacteristically pleased. Draco did as Mother told him to and kneeled by the man’s side.
Hand placed on his heart, he swore ”My Lord, it is my greatest honour to serve you and carry out your will.”
No matter how Draco felt about Muggleborns and Purebloods, he had to protect his mother. If he died in the process, so much the better.
4.
Kate Bell wasn’t supposed to get hurt. She wasn’t supposed to be there, it should have only been Dumbledore there. Dumbledore who was too strong to be affected by such a thing. It was just supposed to be enough to buy Draco some time to fix the cabinet.
She had just left Madam Pomfrey’s and was already talking to Harry Potter. She looked over his shoulder and directly at Draco. She smiled at him. Instantly, he could feel what little he ate this morning trying to come back up. Kate had always been kind to him, which made it ache all the more that he had crippled her. Out of everyone, she hadn’t deserved it.
He broke eye contact with her and ran. He had to get out of there, had to go somewhere safe. He tripped up the stairs in his rush and probably bruised his knees good.
Finally he made it to Myrtle’s bathroom. He couldn’t breathe, his chest heaved as he tried to calm himself. He ripped off his sweater and tie, tossing them onto the floor. The Draco in the mirror had tears rolling down his cheeks and a look of agony twisting his features. That couldn’t be him, he couldn't look so weak. What would Father think of him?
Draco let out a harsh cry and his chest tightened even more. His hands flew to his collar and he struggled to undo the buttons with his trembling fingers. His whole body shuddered and another cry crawled out his throat.
“I know what you did, Malfoy.” A familiar voice spoke from behind him.
His hazy mind couldn’t make out who exactly it was though. Was it Father? Greyback? He looked over his shoulder and sent a hex when he realized it was Potter.
He bolted around the sinks and to the farthest stall. He heard Harry sent a hex back. He moved to Myrtle’s stall, and the girl began to yell at Potter.
“Stop it! Stop it! You're going to hurt him!” Neither boy paid her any mind. Draco sent out another hex and ran for the exit. He had to get out of there. He faintly heard one of the pipes break when his spell connected. Over the spraying water he heard clearly.
“Sectumsempra!”
He turned to face Potter and was thrown to the ground. Draco could feel his chest begin to split open, his neck and face felt agonizing. He tried to breathe, only to choke on his own blood. He rolled onto his side as the blood poured out of his mouth.
“Murder in the bathroom! There’s a murder in the bathroom! Draco’s been murdered!” Myrtle was screaming.
Draco laid on his back, with the world fading around him. He couldn’t hear Myrtle anymore.
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He awoke to no one by his bedside. His hands immediately reached for his neck, which was wrapped in bandages and hurt to touch. His eyes darted to the door as Madam Pomfrey walked in.
“Mister Malfoy! How are you feeling?” She sat by his bed and began to look him over.
“I’ve…. been better.” His voice came out scratchy and it hurt to talk.
Once she finished going over how he should take care of his wounds, she let him make his way to his third class. Only after she had seen how adamant he was to go after hearing he had been asleep for five days.
It was halfway through potions when Draco walked in. Several people turned to look at him, Potter and his minions included. Oddly enough, all three of them looked shocked at his state, which considering Potter had done this to him was a tad confusing.
He made his way down to his normal seat between Pansy and Blaise, who both were staring at him, concern written all over their faces.
“Oh stop the pitying you two. I’m fine.” Draco’s voice sounded better than earlier, but it still caused Pansy’s eyes to widen before she nodded and turned her gaze back to Snape.
5.
Things were going downhill very quickly. Father was out of prison, Dumbledore was dead, the Dark Lord’s side seemed to be winning, and Greyback was becoming more apparent with his interest in Draco. All around he thought it couldn’t get worse. That was until Potter and his lackeys were brought to the manor.
“Well Draco? Is this him? It is, isn’t it?” Aunt Bella cackled as she held Harry Potter up by the jaw.
Arms snaked up his shoulders and Father spoke softly in his ear. “All will be forgiven, Draco. Tell her that it’s him. Our Lord will praise us, we will be in his good graces again.”
“Lucius!” Barked Greyback. “Don’t forget who found the boy! Unless… you’ll give me someone instead?” He grinned widely, showing off his teeth.
Granger looked horrified, likely thinking that she was who Greyback had wanted.
“Not you, mudblood. I think that Bella wants you. No, I want pretty boy here.” He walked up to Draco and pushed Lucius’ arms off to put his own there instead. “Do we have a deal, Lucius?”
“Well, you certainly know how to play. Deal.” He smirked at the werewolf. “Not like he’s good for much else anyway.”
Draco still hadn’t looked away from Harry Potter’s face. Even with the stinging spell there was no mistaking it.
“That’s not him.”He cleared his throat. “That’s not Harry Potter.”
“Here that, Lucy? Gave away your son for some random!” He laughed in his face. “Now, me and my boy will put them in the dungeon. Maybe give them a show.”
He hauled up Potter and Weasel, and told Draco to carry the girl. Draco noticed Hermione go to whisper to him and shook his head. ‘Werewolf’, he mouthed at her. A look of understanding crossed her face.
They made it to their cells, where Greyback asked him. “Here or my bed, darling?” the large man stared down at him with a grin.
Draco turned to look at the golden trio’s mortified faces before turning back to the werewolf.
“Your bed.” Draco smiled slyly at him. “This is for just us.”
Greyback let out a loud laugh. “Does Lucy know his heir’s a whore?”
Draco licked his lips, pretending to be into the man. “Just for you. After all, who else is my Daddy?”
“You remember? You were so young I thought you had forgotten, baby.”
He ignored the prisoners who were increasingly acting up. “You were the best though, Daddy. How could I ever forget?”
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+1
Draco was held in Azkaban as he awaited his trial. All Deatheater's had to take a truth potion at their trial and let their memories be displayed for the court, so no one could claim that they were under Imperious this time. Having his memories viewed was definitely not something he was looking forward to, but as the judge in front of him claimed, it was non-negotiable.
The Auror on Draco's left handed him the potion to drink, which he downed at the Judge’s cue. The same Auror would be the one to show the court his memories in tangent to the provided questions and dates.
“How did you first meet He-who-shall-not-be-named?”
Immediately, at the front of the courtroom was an image of Draco coming back from Hogwarts for summer before fifth year. It showed the Dark Lord sitting at the head of the table, with Greyback on his left and Lucius on his right. In the projection, the Dark Lord smiled at Draco and sat him next to Greyback.
“Ah, young Draco! I’ve been waiting to meet my youngest follower! Rarely do children know what is right at your age.”
The projection also plays Draco’s thoughts aloud.
‘What is this ugly bastard doing here again? And the Dark Lord is back? Why did Father bring Greyback again? Am I getting punishments from him again?’
The image fades, and the court is quiet. The Judge looks at him and questions, “Were you more afraid of Greyback than He-who-shall-not-be-named?”
“Yes, Sir.” He swallowed. The truth potion makes him try to continue talking.
“Why is that?”
“I knew him when I was younger, Sir. He was one of the ways Father had punished me as a child.”
With that, images began to pop up again. Multiple scenes of a young Draco crying in different states of undress, of Lucius beating him with his cane, and of the many times Lucius used Crucio on his own son.
The Auror retracted the spell when one where Greyback was on top of the young boy who was screaming, “Daddy, no! It hurts, it hurts! Daddy please!”
His trial was long and painful. He walked out of the courtroom with his head down and only attending 8th year at Hogwarts as his punishment. The press were clamouring around him, loud and unrelenting. Unable to handle it anymore, he wandlessly apparated away to the street outside.
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The first few months at Hogwarts were horrible. Younger students would hex him in the halls, taunt him about things from his trial, and he wasn’t allowed to fight back. Harry still had his wand, and he was being watched carefully by the ministry as part of his punishment.
It wasn’t until Granger apologized to him that things started to look up. She didn’t really have anything to apologize for in his mind but she insisted that they should have taken Draco with them when they escaped the manor. That he was the only reason they were able to and they had left him behind.
He was taken under her wing soon after, and she’d hex anyone who was mean to Draco, including Ron. Weasel became Ron and he found that he actually quite enjoyed the redheads' company. The other boy took to him after he learned that Draco could play a mean game of wizards chess.
But the biggest surprise to Draco was how close he and Harry had become. After the four of them had gone out for drinks, a tipsy Harry was all over him. He talked about how he hadn’t meant to hurt Draco, that he was sorry. He also called Draco pretty, before vomiting on him.
And maybe Draco told Harry something too.
😍