DARK SOULS ☽ 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚏𝚘𝚢

𝔩𝔦𝔦 | seventh year

draco's pov–

Father, Mother, and I sit down at the large table before everyone else. Father has escaped Azkaban, along with many other Death Eaters. Things have gone too far, I feel. 

Our manor is to host the Dark Lord tonight, along with his many followers. Before my family and I sat down, Father grabbed me by the back of my neck and told me to behave, to not say a word, and to not even think about letting my face betray me.

Though I am somewhat glad to see him again, he scares me. Something about him has changed, become darker. That's what scares me the most. Not the fact that the Dark Lord will be sitting at my dinner table in the next few minutes. The fact that my father is bloodthirsty, and the fact that even Mother can't hide the fear in her eyes. 

People trickle in, some faces I recognize. My aunt, Bellatrix, gives my mother a hug and smiles at me, her teeth sharp. Graham Montague's father, Vincent Crabbe's father, and Gregory Goyle's father all slowly enter as well. The three of their children are all students at Hogwarts, but it doesn't seem like they've brought their children here today. 

The only other person my age, of course, is Aurora, who sits with her two parents near the head of the table, where the Dark Lord will sit. Aurora came here voluntarily, I assume. Her life goal has become proving herself to Voldemort, whereas mine is just surviving. Maybe my parents are the only two who would risk their son's life, though I doubt Mother has any say in my fate. 

I recognize the majority of the Death Eaters, save for one, a strange man who seems a little nervous to be there. Behind him, enters the Dark Lord. He dons a large, draped black cloak on his oddly-shaped, skeletal face. 

I have never seen him in person before, so the sight of him sends a chill through my body. When he enters, his large snake follows him in, along with Peter Pettigrew who holds a floating women in the Imperius Curse, "What is the meaning of this?" My father says calmly. 

"She will serve as a vital lesson," The Dark Lord responds, scowling at my father. Snape rushes in, late, sitting between Crabbe and Goyle. Voldemort sighs, "Severus, welcome," He smiles an evil smile, "Do you have news to report?"

"Yes, I do," Snape drawls in his monotone voice, "The boy will be moved to a safe house next Saturday at nightfall." A couple of people disagree, starting a small fight. Yaxley speaks out, saying that the Auror office at the Ministry believes Potter will be moved much later. 

It's strange to see a boy I've grown up with wanted dead, by my closest family. As much as I hate him, I would never want to... kill him. I could never bring myself to murder someone. My thoughts are cut off as Snape continues, "The Auror office is no longer reliable as they have knowledge we have infiltrated the Ministry and could be feeding false information."

Voldemort holds up a hand to stop Snape from speaking, and looks to the cloaked newcomer who I didn't recognize, "What say you, Larkspur?"

I try to hold myself together as the surname shoots through my body. Larkspur. Y/N. I go rigid in my chair, and try to hold myself together. Y/N's father, disgraced from the Ministry. A Death Eater. I had never kept up with the articles about her father's expulsion from the wizarding world, so I never knew his face. 

Now I understand why people looked so uneasy when he walked in. Montague speaks up, "You disgrace! Married to Muggle scum and the father of a half-blood. You should be embarrassed to walk these halls."

"Silence!" Voldemort yells. 

Y/N's father softly speaks up, his eyebrows furrowed, "I am no longer married to a Muggle and my daughter will never see that scum again. My half-blood spawn will not interfere with my life, she has turned seventeen and the last time I saw her was when I left her at Hogwarts. She is an adult now, meaning I have no responsibility for her any more," He pauses, "I have already sworn my life over to the Dark Lord."

He raises the sleeve of his cloak to reveal the Dark Mark, wriggling around on his arm. The sight of it makes my own sear with pain. I try to choke back my shock. Y/N doesn't even know. 

The Dark Lord chuckles, "You will prove most useful, Larkspur, and I am glad you have chosen the correct way of life." The woman hanging in the air lets out a breathless scream. I glance at her, trying to figure out who she is, before Voldemort interrupts, "As many of you know, Potter and I's wands are twins, sharing the same core, meaning we can harm but not fatally end the other. I will require a new wand for the task of killing the boy," He stops before my father, "Lucius?"

My father takes his wand out of his staff, as Mother looks on, terrified. Her lip quivers as the Dark Lord takes Father's wand as his own. He tests it out by bringing the woman hanging in the air over the table.

"This is Ms. Charity Burbage. She taught at the disgraced school known as Hogwarts, and taught Muggle Studies," he says, as people around the table laugh at the class, "Ms. Burbage, like someone at this table, believes that Muggles are not so different from us. She believes the mixture of magical and Muggle blood is not an abomination."

I glance to Larkspur, who looks concerned with the way the conversation is going. She begs for her life, but Voldemort laughs, "Avada Kedavra!" She falls to the table, and I suck in a breath. A tear threatens to escape from my eye, but I will it not to fall. 

Voldemort turns my father's wand on Larkspur, "Once a lover of Muggles, always one," he says, "Avada Kedavra!" The spell hits Y/N's father in the chest and he crumples in his chair. I try to hold myself together, but I barely can. 

That year at Hogwarts, I can see the thestrals Y/N was telling me about.