Nathaniel Larson
They had taken everything from him. All his money. Most of his belongings (they had allowed Draco his clothing and a few essentials). He wasn't even allowed to go back to the Manor.
Not until they thoroughly went through everything, making sure all the illegal stuff was removed.
Since Draco was going to be an official professor at Hogwarts, he had been given a dorm to use, and he had been allowed to move in early, before the year even started. For now, this would be his home, and honestly, they were being quite accommodating. He was appreciative of that.
His mother also couldn't return back to the Manor (and almost anything else that the Malfoy name clung to). She had suddenly become penniless, thus she now had to find herself some employment— which wasn't going to be easy, because she had never worked in her life.
"Mother?" Draco called out, stepping into her tiny home. It was one that had been bought in her name years ago, countries away, hidden from the Wizengamot.
"I'm in the kitchen." Her response was quiet.
He ventured into the room, easily finding it, as the house was maybe just the size of his bedroom at the Manor.
She drank from a cup of tea, lost in her thoughts.
"Have you found some employment yet?" he asked in concern, studying her distressed face.
Narcissa took a moment before she replied. "There's one thing they can't take away."
He reached across the table to squeeze her hand. "Hmm?"
"The elves."
Draco was grateful for that. He still had his personal house elf, Toogy. She had moved in with him at the Hogwarts dorm, fitting along well with the other elves who lived there.
"I'm going to rent them out," she decided. "Until they let us have our property back. They'll be awfully bored otherwise."
He shrugged, considering the idea. Mother had three of her own elves in her possession, without all the property to care for, they would be awfully idle.
"Could make a pretty Galleon here and there. Might not have to worry about being broke that way."
She nodded with her eyes out of focus, holding the teacup up to her mouth, breathing in the steam.
"What's on your mind, Mother?"
She set the cup down, wrapping her hands around the warmth of it. "I'm not sure what to do with my own free time."
"Perhaps start a hobby?" he suggested.
Narcissa gently chewed at the inside of her lip. "I want to do something beneficial. Something meaningful to our society. Like what you're about to do."
"Hogwarts still needs some repairs done," Draco said. "Can't you help with that?"
She tilted her head, thinking about it, lifting the tea cup back up to her lips to take a sip. "I might consider it." Narcissa then stood up.
"I'm sorry, darling, did you want some tea?"
He shook his head. "No, but thank you."
"When do you start your work?"
He lifted his shoulders up, having no clue. "Waiting on Granger to send me information on my first victim."
His mother chuckled, finding the name he used amusing. "How do you feel about all this anyway?"
Draco sighed. "I need to prove that I'm not the bigot I used to be, so this is the first step, I guess. I'll probably hardly get any sleep at school— between teaching and studying for the N.E.W.T.s, but it's this or Azkaban, and I don't look good in stripes."
Narcissa shook her head. "No," she agreed. "You most certainly don't."
"Any letters from Father?"
She took a deep inhale. "Yes." Her voice went up a few notches. "They removed the Dementors, thank Merlin, but I miss him, and he misses us too."
"Yeah, I miss him too." Draco admitted. Even though Lucius could be an outright twat, he was still Draco's father. "But you know, I feel like there's a weight off me now that he's not breathing down my back all the time."
Narcissa spread her lips out, smiling softly. "I feel exactly the same way."
"He was awfully controlling."
She nodded.
"And bitter."
Her smile faded. "Sometimes, yes."
"They said they would help him if he wants it," Draco said hopefully.
"It'll take your father some time, sweetheart. He's been through a lot."
"I know, but I'd rather look at the positive lining than the dark one."
"Me too."
After a week, Draco's first 'victim' was finally revealed— in nine, full pages (front and back) that included Nathaniel Larson's appearance, his entire family tree, where he currently went to primary school, where he lived and who he was friends with (and it was apparent that he didn't have many friends; Granger noted that this was common in quite a few Muggleborns).
Granger was overly thorough, which wasn't something that Draco wasn't aware of, but most of her notes were completely irrelevant and a waste of time.
Now that he had the eleven-year-old's complete biography in his possession, Draco could begin his work:
Fairly Exhaustive Readjustment & Readiness for Education Training
Or so that's what Draco called it. That wasn't the official title, no, but for Draco that's what it was going to be.
Nathaniel lived in southern Denmark, in a city called Esbjerg. According to Granger's trivial notes, it was the fifth largest city in the country.
Granger had provided a safe house to apparate to, and as soon as Draco set foot into the two-level home, he could smell the sea air.
He took a deep breath, relishing the scent of it. Draco had always loved the smell of the sea. It brought back memories of his childhood, back when life was relatively peaceful, and he was blessed with not having to know about the evils of the world.
Being young and naive definitely had its pros.
Draco stepped outside and was instantly welcomed by the warm, summer wind. It was a comfortable day in July. In Nathaniel's biography, Granger informed that the weather was typically mild year round in Esbjerg; rarely did the summer temperatures climb above 35C. That sounded pleasant enough to Draco. He didn't like it when it was too hot.
Draco had to ride a ferry in order to reach his destination. So far, he could honestly say he was enjoying himself. Of course, he hadn't met the kid yet, which was the actual job, but he could get used to this.
He stood at the railing, letting the wind beat through his hair, sucking in the salty air. He watched the waves crawl by, mesmerized by them.
And then it was time to get off.
Draco walked two miles before he came across the home Nathaniel lived in. He stood outside a white, Nordic house with a red roof. There was a car parked out in the drive, and assorted wild flowers had been planted on either side of the walk path, marking it.
Draco drew in a breath, preparing himself for what was about to take place. He wasn't sure what to expect. From stories, some Muggles were perfectly okay with magic— but most were not.
'What if they beat me up?' he had asked Potter.
'Then obviously we'll need to intervene— but you are not allowed to use any spell on them, am I clear? Not a single one.'
Holding his breath in, Draco knocked on the door, causing a dog to start barking excitedly.
"Hambone!" a female voice screeched out, irritably. "Get away from the door!"
"Back!" a younger voice scolded, clapping their hands. "Go on, Hambone! Get back now!"
The dog's yapping distanced itself away from the door, but Hambone was still putting up a ruckus.
The door opened just a crack, revealing a sliver of a face. A brown eyeball looked him up and down. "Who is it?"
"My name is Draco Malfoy. I'm here to speak with the parents of Nathaniel Larson— are they home?"
The kid pulled away from the door. "Mum, there's a gentleman who wants to speak with you!"
"Can't anyone just give me a break! Or at least wait for a commer—" The door swung open, revealing a short, plump middle-aged woman with greasy brunette hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. Thanks to Granger's notes, Draco knew this to be Helen Larson, Nathaniel's mother.
Now that the home was exposed, Draco realized it had been Nathaniel who had answered the door (Draco knew because of the provided pictures in the biography). The boy wandered off, having no interest in the guest.
That would change here shortly.
Off to the side, in the living room, Draco saw Nathaniel's older fifteen-year-sister, Abilene, sitting at a desk with her eyes glued to some sort of box with a screen. Granger didn't provide him any info on that. He had no idea what could be so interesting about a box.
Mrs. Larson raised her eyebrows, scanning Draco over, before smiling, showing him her yellow teeth. As she admired his beauty, Draco grew uncomfortable.
"Aren't you just a cutie!" She put a cigarette to her mouth and inhaled. "What brings you here?"
"Is your husband home, ma'am?"
Mrs. Larson rolled her eyes. "He's off playing BINGO, as usual. What do you want? I'd like to return to my television program!"
"It's about Nathaniel—"
"What did that little troublemaker do this time?!" The woman instantly whipped around, yelling, "NATHANIEL! Get your arse in here now!"
Draco's eyes widened at her tone change. "Wait, no! He's not in trouble…!"
The woman raised her hand to her mouth, removing the cigarette to exhale the foul smelling smoke from her lungs. She had a shocked look on her face "He's not?"
"No, I'm here to talk about him, but it's better if both you and your husband are here. Is there a way you could alert him?"
By this time, Nathaniel had reappeared, eyeing his mother nervously. An index finger was tucked away inside of a book, marking his place.
"Mum?" he spoke out cautiously.
"Wait a minute," she ordered him, annoyed. To Draco, she said, "I could try calling the church, but they don't normally answer during BINGO hour."
"Well, then I guess I'll just have to speak with you, if you're okay with that?"
Mrs. Larson flipped up an eyebrow, finding him peculiar. "Go on then. Tell me what this is about."
"I'm a professor at Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry—"
Mrs. Larson laughed. "Is this a prank? Am I on Candid Camera?" She popped her head outside, looking for something.
"No, it's very much real. Your son is a wizard, and—" Draco was cut off as Mrs. Larson snatched his tie and dragged him inside, slamming the door shut.
"You said what?" she snarled in a hushed, threatening tone.
Draco cleared his throat, adjusting his loosened tie back into its perfect position. While Helen Larson may be a Muggle, she was still quite terrifying. "Has your son done anything unexplainable in his past— particularly recently?"
"Turned my hair green last week," Abilene announced boredly behind the white box. She was moving a small object with her hand, her attention purely focused on what that box was.
"A wizard, you say?" Mrs. Larson asked.
"That letter, Mum…" Nathaniel spoke up. He quickly disappeared, sprinting off out of sight.
"He's what we call a Muggleborn—"
"A what?"
"A child born to Muggles— like yourself."
The woman huffed, insulted. "And just what's a Muggle?"
"It's just what we call people who have no magic. It's not meant to be insulting."
Mrs. Larson glanced over to where her son had just been at. "How did he become this way?"
Draco shrugged. "Luck of the draw, I suppose."
Nathaniel returned with a familiar looking envelope. "This letter. See?"
"Yes, that's your Hogwarts acceptance letter," Draco explained.
"So it's actually real?" Nathaniel asked, his eyes lighting up hopefully.
"Indeed it is."
"It's real, Mum!" Nathaniel jumped up and down excitedly.
Mrs. Larson studied Draco over, skeptically. "You're a wizard yourself then?"
Draco gave her one, simple nod.
"Show me."
"Show you?"
She crossed her arms over her chest. "Show me some magic."
Draco had even caught Abilene's attention. All three were looking at him expectantly.
"I'm not allowed to cast magic around Muggles."
"Fake," Mrs. Larson decided, turning around and walking away.
He followed her into a bedroom, where she sat in front of her own box with a screen. This one looked different than what Abilene was sitting at. "I'm telling the truth. Your son needs to attend this school, otherwise he'll continue being a troublemaker, as you put it."
Nathaniel was eagerly sitting at the doorway, waiting to hear more. His mother glanced his way before turning to the screen.
"If it'll stop him from changing Abilene's hair colour, then do whatever you think is necessary." She turned a knob, and the box began talking. "Now go away, you already made me miss ten minutes of my show!"
It took a moment for Draco to grasp that this Muggle didn't particularly care that she had an extraordinary son. Pureblood parents got incredibly excited when their children showed signs of magic, but it seemed Mrs. Larson just found it troublesome.
"Are you going to teach him things or not?" she demanded when he hadn't moved.
Nathaniel gestured him out of the room. "She hates it when she misses an episode of Buffy." Nathaniel led Draco out into the back yard, where there was a large tree with a lounge chair sitting in the shade of it.
Nathaniel gathered a stack of books that had been placed in the chair and set them at the base of the tree. "You can sit here if you'd like."
"I'm fine standing, thanks."
As the boy settled himself into the chair, Draco took out a few books from the bag he carried with him, handing him a copy of Hogwarts, A History. He began explaining about the school, and how it would teach Nathaniel to control his magic. Nathaniel absorbed every detail, deeply intrigued with it all.
"How will I get all the supplies I need?"
"Your parents will take you."
Nathaniel looked off at the house, his eyes lowered, all his excitement had depleted. "Isn't there another way?"
"Can your parents not afford it?" Draco was confused, they seemed well off, money wise.
"They don't exactly spend a lot of time with me. I've been shopping for my own clothes for seven years now."
Draco swallowed hard as something foul set in his gut. "Fine then," he said firmly, masking his emotions from the child. "I'll take you."
The shine returned to the boy's eyes. "You will?!"
"Well, better a wizard than a Muggle anyway, can't have you buying a knock off cauldron or something. Might explode in Potions, causing fetal injury."
"When can we go?!"
"Now, if you want. If your mum will let you."
Nathaniel leaped out of the chair and took Draco's hand. Draco narrowed his eyes at the touch, but Nathaniel didn't notice.
"She won't even know I'm gone! Let's go!"