Traitor: A Draco Malfoy Story

thirty-seven

I froze, my heart dropping to the floor. I struggled to catch my breath, and I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I wiped them away with a shaking hand, and the anger boiled over inside of me. "Show yourself!" I screamed. "Where are you? Face me!"

He appeared from the black smoke grinning, his yellowed teeth showing and his noseless face a pale flat palette on which his evil was painted. "Hello, dearest. Long time."

I spat at his feet and he hissed. "Come now. Don't disrespect your kin like that. What would your mother say?"

"I wouldn't know," I seethed. "She's been gone all my life."

"You're right. I suppose I can't fault you for bad manners then, growing up around those disgusting Muggle animals." Voldemort smiled, and a shudder passed through me. He was the embodiment of every nightmare I'd ever had and standing in his presence was an oppressive darkness I couldn't describe.

"But your mother didn't matter. She was just a loyal follower who wanted into my inner circle of friends. One of a good family, I always did care about the Parkinsons. I knew I could count on her. But she meant nothing to me, and so at the time, you meant nothing to me. But my dear, sweet, child..." he trailed off. "Oh, how I missed you."

I drew in a sharp breath. Parkinson. My mother was a Parkinson. I didn't know quite how to feel. My fingers were numb, and there was a pounding in my ears. All my life I'd wanted to know who my parents were, wanted to meet them, wanted to be a family again. And now that I was offered the information I'd been craving my whole life, all I felt was disappointment and disgust. This was who I came from? But my mother...maybe my mother would have some redeeming qualities.

"What's her name?" I whispered, my arms hanging limply by my sides. I was so defeated I could barely hold myself up. When he only clicked his tongue and turned to Bellatrix who was dancing around, cackling, I raised both my voice and my wand, fixing it on Voldemort's chest.

"What is her name?" I cried. He only chuckled.

"Lilith, if you must know." He held one wrist with the other hand in front of him as if he had better things to do. A cadaverous, pale foot was tapping in indifference and impatience beneath his black robes. "I believe her sister Rose has a beautiful daughter named Pansy. The one you defiled of her magic not long ago? But I wouldn't know. I killed her before I could ask about her family ties." He had walked up to me, cupping my face with a white hand before running his blackened fingernail down over my temple, tracing a line to my chin. "You must remember that. Don't you remember? You were there. She got on my nerves that day, yes she did." I flinched away, fighting the urge to run from the revolting, terrifying man. My father.

"Some Muggles believe that the devil's wife is named Lilith. In Hebrew, it means night monster," he said, beginning to circle me like a shark circles his prey. "A little ironic, isn't it, that her daughter can take magic from someone of the most powerful pureblood families. Some might brand you the devil's wife."

Harry started to run towards me, but he was only flown back and bound to a pillar by an unspoken spell from Voldemort's wand. He looked at Harry in disgust. "Would you please cease being rude, I'm reconnecting with my daughter. I'll kill you after we've bonded." A cut on Harry's head oozed blood.

"I am not your daughter," I spat as he continued to circle.

"Oh, but you are, Azalea," He cooed. "My little night monster." He stopped behind me and brought his lips to my ear. I flinched away, but he put his hands on either side of my head to only me in place. "Only, I don't think you're a monster. I think your abilities are unmatched and should be cultivated and honed so that you can assist me. We can make it a family affair. The Dark Lord, and his night princess."

I don't know why I decided then to take it upon myself to say something brazen, but the words tumbled out of my mouth anyway. "Really? Is that what you want? Because you left me alone for seventeen years after killing my mother and now is the time you decide to be father of the year? Nice one, Voldemort."

"You dare speak his name!" Bellatrix screeched.

"Oh, little girl. You'll soon see how much I care about you."

Terror dug its claws into my chest as I stood there, in utter discomfort and a dire need to disappear, run, escape, anything. But I knew I couldn't get far. I knew that I wouldn't be leaving here free. He would take me. And I didn't know how to stop it.

Suddenly, from a burst of green flames, a figure materialized in front of me. "She makes a perfectly fair point, Tom. Most estranged family members like to ease their way back into connection."

Dumbledore winked at me, and I smiled in return. He began to walk towards the pale, misshapen man.

"It was foolish of you to come here tonight, Tom. The Aurors are on their way."

"By which time I shall be gone, and you shall be dead."

"NO!" Harry screamed as the two wizards began attacking each other. I was slid by something, probably Dumbledore's magic, over to him and I freed him from his bonds with the Revulsion Jinx.

Sparks flew left and right and Harry and I hid behind one of the great fireplaces. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bellatrix slide into one, going up into green flames. Sirius' killer had slipped through my fingers.

The two men continued to fight, Voldemort releasing a snake of fire and setting on the Hogwarts headmaster. But Dumbledore controlled it with ease and set the Dark Lord spinning in a ball of water.

I saw Voldemort begin to set up another spell to aim at the old man, and I sprinted towards the battle, Harry yelling for me to stop. I ran at the man who had caused me more pain than Dumbledore, the man who'd brought me into this world, killed my mother, and left me to fend for myself. I thought of all the things that had happened to me today, the knowledge that Malfoy had been playing me all along, the loss of Sirius, and the long-lost father I had dreamed of my entire life being the worst being in the history of humanity. I saw the smoke rising from me but I wasn't sure whose magic I was feeding off of. As I ran, the smoke got thicker and blacker until I was in a fog I couldn't see in or get out of. It was a darkness I could barely fight, that consumed my soul, and sent searing pain through my insides. I screamed. "Take it back, take it back! I don't want your magic!"

Voldemort laughed a hideous laugh. "Silly girl. What made you think you could suck the magic from the most powerful wizard in the world? It's too much, even for you. You're so inexperienced, little one. You need me."

I screamed until my throat was raw and it hurt to breathe. The pain never subsided, the dark still rushing into me, becoming more than I could handle. With a final shriek, I stretched out my hand and thought, push. Get out. Let go.

It felt like the skin was being pulled from my body slowly, in small strips as the magic flooded back into Voldemort. Every window in the atrium shattered and the tinkling of falling glass echoed around the room. The darkness left my body leaving me drained and empty. Black spots turned my vision blotchy and I swayed. The last thing I heard before I collapsed was Voldemort's quip, "So she does know how to control it. I made more progress now than you did in an entire semester, old man."

The world around me faded as I closed my eyes.