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SIXTEEN ONCE UPON A THRILL
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STORIES HAVE NO START, ATTICUS MALFOY is beginning to realise. Whilst one tale may have a natural place to begin explaining, there is no true beginning. There's always a cultivation of prologues, epigraphs, footnotes explaining different moments, the ways other act in certain situations. Whilst Atticus' story seems to start on the 15th September 1963, the day he was born, it doesn't necessarily begin there.
Part of him wonders if the story of his life begins years before he was born, when his ancestor named Atticus Malfoy was so powerful that his parents were later inspired and hoped that, by giving their second son the same name, he would rise to power like that other Malfoy had done. Or maybe his life truly begun the day he was subject to a prank by 'the Marauders,' permanently staining his hair coal-black, and his parents realised how he wasn't destined for greatness, for leadership. All Atticus wanted was to live peacefully, to stay away from all of the ludicrous prejudice his family believed in — he wanted to explore the world, learn about witchcraft and wizardry all across the globe, how it changes according to location. He wanted to learn and learn until his brain was full.
He didn't want this, eating dinner with his parents as they reeled off the reasons they were proud of his big brother Lucius, but not him. He didn't want this, nodding along as they said how stupid he was, studying History of Magic at N.E.W.T. level. He didn't want this, walking up to his bedroom and feeling like shit because his parents don't care. They don't care that he wants to be an adventurer, who travels the world and relays his newfound knowledge of different witchy cultures in his non-fiction masterpieces. He doesn't want to be a Ministry man, and that's that — he isn't worthy.
"The Malfoy name is too powerful to be subjected to research," his father told him, the first and only time he expressed his dream to him. "You don't find out this information, boy. You are gifted this knowledge, because you are a Malfoy."
By this point, Atticus doesn't really care. He knows he's going to leave school and become this world-renowned pioneer for the history of magic, but it just sucks, knowing that his family don't want anything to do with it. All he has is his best friend, and even she's a Death Eater now.
Around midnight Atticus takes a leisurely stroll out of his bedroom, the corridors of Malfoy Manor dimly lit by the moonlight seeping in through the curtains. He opens one of the doors leading into the garden, and quietly closes it behind him. It's not like his parents would hear it, anyway, but he gets paranoid about this. He can't even imagine his parents' reaction to this... He doesn't think he wants to.
"Well hey, stranger."
He hears the familiar voice from the gazebo at the very end of the garden, far, far away from the rose garden and apple orchard. Atticus walks up the steps and immediately he's greeted with a smile.
