Lucius Malfoy was not one for sleeping rough. The cave that he found himself and Draco in was most unpleasant. It had a foul stench like rotting flesh to it. The walls were stained with dried blood and urine. There was a pile of bones in one corner, some of them looked to be human.
I was better off in Azkaban, thought Lucius.
Draco and he had been sleeping in this cave, hiding away from the world, since their escape from Azkaban over a month ago. Narcissa had said she would send word when it was safe for them to return to the Malfoy family home, but as of yet, they had heard nothing. The relentless crashing of the ocean below did nothing to improve Lucius’ restlessness.
Draco, meanwhile was surveying the cave with interest, as he had done every day since he had arrived there. Food was no problem, there were plenty of rats around; and if anybody came snooping around, he and his father had their wands. They were both in a foul enough mood to ensure that anyone who entered the cave would not be leaving again.
Lucius got up from the mouldy pile of straw that he had been using as a bed and stretched his arms out wide.
“Draco, how did you have the misfortune to find this place?” Lucius asked as he sat down on a nearby rock; he refused to touch that straw unless it was absolutely necessary.
Draco looked up from the pile of bones he was studying to face his father, “I hid out here for a while when the Dark Lord was vanquished.”
Lucius laughed. “Couldn’t you have done better?”
“When you’re on the run from the Ministry, you don’t stop and think, ‘Hang on, this isn’t what I’m looking for.’ Besides, it wasn’t this bad last time I was here.”
“Quite’” said Lucius.
The cave fell back into silence after that, Draco resumed his anxious pacing. Lucius simply sat. Hours passed before Draco spoke again.
“I’m so sick of this place, father. What’s taking mother so long? I bet she is quite happy to leave us here to rot, just like she left me to rot in Azkaban.”
“Patience, Draco, she will send word when it is safe. For now, just enjoy the fact that you are out of Azkaban.” Lucius sighed, and looked at his son. Draco was not the same person he was before Lucius has been captured in the Department of Mysteries, and sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban. Draco’s spine now had a curve, as if some giant hand had bent it to its will. His eyes, once cold and gleaming, were now sunken and grey.
Lucius had heard what had happened to Draco after he was taken to Azkaban. How Draco was made a Death Eater and was given the task of killing Albus Dumbledore. At the time, Draco did not have the killer instinct to do it, and it was left to Severus Snape to kill Dumbledore. Lord Voldemort did not take kindly to Draco’s failure, and had placed the boy under the Cruciatus curse for an inhuman amount of time. The Dark Lord shown some degree of mercy though, and freed Draco of the curse before he lost his mind. The damage had been done though, Draco was a changed man; and he became unhinged, and was responsible for many deaths before he was finally captured.
“Draco?”
“Yes, father?”
“While we are waiting, I want to ask you some questions. I suspect the answers I have been getting from your mother are merely watered down versions of real events.”
Draco sighed, he was not really in the mood for talking, let alone answering the questions of a man he felt no connection with anymore. “I’m not in the mood.”
“Got something else to do to pass the time, have you?”
Draco cursed loudly. “Fine, go ahead. Ask away.”
“What exactly happened to Severus?”
Draco’s pale face contorted with rage. “Snape? That half-blood traitor?”
“Snape was a half-blood?” Lucius asked quickly, he had always been good friends with Snape during their Death Eater days.
“Yes he was. A lowly half-blood. I believe the Dark Lord took him in out of pity.”
“Probably. So what happened to him?”
“He killed Dumbledore. I began to suspect him when he did not kill Potter when he had the chance.” Draco paused, spitting at the mention of Harry. “After Dumbledore’s death he had the opportunity, Potter was pursuing him. Snape could easily have killed him there and then but instead he concentrated more on running. I stopped trusting him after that, and began to keep a close watch on him. I managed to hide and I heard him having a conversation with the filthy werewolf, Remus Lupin. He was spying for the Order of the Phoenix against the Dark Lord.”
Lucius’ eyes widened at this news. “So you told the Dark Lord of his treachery?”
Draco laughed. “I certainly did. He did not believe me at first, but he was suspicious enough of Snape to give me a potion of his own design that I was to make Snape drink.”
“What did the potion do?”
“It weakened his mind, made him unable to resist the Dark Lord’s Legilmency. It was highly amusing to see the helpless look on Snape’s face as the Dark Lord penetrated his mind to learn the truth.”
“The Dark Lord killed him?”
“Eventually. He made him suffer first. He made Snape suffer like no other. He subjected him to the Cruciatus curse for extended periods. He poisoned him and then gave him antidotes when he was at death’s door. Snape kept fighting though, at any opportunity he would try to escape. It was only when the Dark Lord finally destroyed his mind and broke his body did he stop attempting to get himself free. Then the Dark Lord mercifully killed him. I offered to do it myself, but the Dark Lord wanted to do it personally. He said he didn’t see the point of keeping him alive if there was no fight left in him.”
“Remarkable,” Lucius commented.
“What is?”
“That Snape managed to keep his mind closed to the Dark Lord for such a long time.”
“I suppose so. He must have been a better Occlumens that anyone anticipated.”
Lucius watched Draco pace around the cave, blasting rats at random with his wand before picking one of them up and taking a bite out of it. “Draco, I have more questions.”
“What?” said Draco through a mouthful of rat.
“What happened to Bellatrix? Rodolphus? Rabastan?”
Draco snorted, “Rodolphus and Rabastan killed each other.”
“What? Why?”
“Rabastan had tried to switch sides. Rodolphus caught him making a deal with Alastor Moody and engaged him in a duel; they both hit each other at the same time with a killing curse.”
Lucius snorted. “Idiots. They never could do anything right. And Bellatrix?”
Draco took another bite of rat before talking again. “Bellatrix was captured by Longbottom.”
“Longbottom? Surely not Frank and Alice’s son?”
“The very same. The useless, fat idiot proved more dangerous than any of us gave him credit for. He confronted Bellatrix as she tried to interfere in the duel between the Dark Lord and Saint Potter.”
“And he defeated her in a duel?”
“Yes. I bet it surprised him as much as it did her. It was more luck than anything else. Bellatrix had him trapped under a pile of rubble, and was gloating about how she was going to leave him like his parents. She didn’t see Longbottom pull himself out from under the rubble, and as she turned back to face him, he hit her with a stunning spell. When she came around she was in Azkaban.”
“What happened to Longbottom?”
“He passed out. He lost a leg dragging himself out of that rubble.”
“Who would have thought of that? I always assumed Longbottom junior was a talent-less fool.”
“We all did. That’s why nobody took him seriously. I’d have thought that Bellatrix would have been more careful though. I believe that she saw him at the Department of Mysteries,” said Draco.
“Indeed she did. He was the only one left fighting at the end apart from Potter.”
“You mean he outlasted Granger?”
“Indeed he did.”
“Ha. I suppose that does something to back up the fact that pure bloods are the only wizards worth anything,” smirked Draco.
“So Bellatrix is in Azkaban? I wonder why Narcissa did not want to free her,” Lucius thought out loud.
“Because she was dead. She died soon after going inside. Mother didn’t tell you any of this?”
“She neglected to mention it. Poor Bellatrix. I never did get on with her particularly well though. Now, Draco, one question remains. How did you end up in Azkaban?”
An angry scowl came across Draco’s face, and he threw the half-eaten rat to the floor, shooting an angry glance at his father. He did not want to be asked that question. Deciding that it was unavoidable given their current living situation, he turned and faced his father and began to speak.
“Potter caught me, a couple of months after defeating the Dark Lord. Potter began searching for the Death Eaters who had escaped. His search brought him to Little Hangleton, where I was hiding at the time. I’m ashamed to say that he defeated me in a duel.”
“How did he manage that?” Lucius drawled, tormenting Draco was about the only thing there was to in the cave that was of any interest.
“Don’t ask me that, I don’t know how he managed it!” Draco snapped, his ragged face contorting into a fierce snarl.
Lucius’ lip curled. “I thought you were this great Death Eater, responsible for the deaths of Mad-Eye Moody, and Kingsley Shacklebolt?”
“I am! But those two are nothing compared to Potter. When I came to face Potter, he had a wealth of spells at his disposal, I was outmatched.”
Lucius made a very audible tutting sound. “I’m disappointed, Draco.”
“You can talk! You got captured by Dumbledore!”
“Dumbledore was a great wizard, with years of experience behind him. Potter was just a boy!” stormed Draco, striding towards the entrance of the cave before turning back and scowling at Lucius.
“I was boy too you know, you seem to have forgotten that! If it weren’t for you making a mess of things in the Department of Mysteries, I would never have been put in the position that I was put in! I was sixteen, father, sixteen! And the Dark Lord gave me the task of killing Dumbledore, and you know what? I tried! I tried to the best of my ability, and do you know why I tried!? Do you!?”
“Because you would have been killed if you’d have refused?”
“WRONG! YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED, YOU AND MUM! I DID IT ALL TO KEEP YOU ALIVE, AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME? BY MOCKING ME! I WISH I’D HAVE REFUSED, AND HE’D HAVE KILLED YOU! YOU SHOULD BE ON YOUR HANDS AND KNEES, THANKING ME!”
“How dare you speak to me like that? HOW DARE YOU!” Lucius drew his wand, but Draco was there first.
“Expelliarmus!”
Lucius’ wand flew from his hand into Draco’s grasp. Draco twirled it around his fingers and laughed. “If I’d have wanted to kill you, I’d have done it before now.” Draco handed his wand back to Lucius. “I wouldn’t try it again though, old man. I might not be so courteous next time.”
After that verbal exchange, neither Malfoy was speaking to the other. Draco picked up the half eaten rat and began eating again. Lucius paced the cave, reflecting on what Draco had told him. He had been out of the wizarding world for so long. All he knew was that Lord Voldemort had been defeated, and that Albus Dumbledore was dead.
Father and son sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity, until a dark grey owl flew into the cave, and dropped a letter into Lucius’ lap. He picked it up and unrolled the piece of parchment.
Lucius, Draco,
The Ministry are satisfied now, they have finished searching the house, and subjected me to numerous interrogations. Fortunately they believe that I had nothing to do with the breakout.
It is now safe for the two of you to return home.
We have much to talk about.
Love
Narcissa
Lucius passed the note to Draco, who read it with a smile. “Let’s get going then.”
“What are you doing here?” said a gruff voice from the entrance of the cave.
Lucius and Draco spun around to see whom the voice belonged to, their wands at the ready; a single figure stood in the entrance. From his position Lucius could just about make out the ruddy face and scrubby brown beard of the Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.
“Well, if it isn’t Amos Diggory,” said Lucius.
Draco laughed, “How’s your wife, Diggory?”
Amos Diggory’s face seemed to transform before the Malfoy’s eyes, it glazed over with a furious anger, his eyes protruded from their sockets.
“My son asked you a question, Diggory. Don’t be so rude.”
“My wife…your son should know, he’s the one that killed her,” Amos Diggory replied, anger bubbling away in his gruff voice.
“Did you really? Excellent work, Draco,” complimented Lucius.
Draco regained his malicious smile as he stared at Diggory, “She was fun, and she didn’t go quietly. I had to use the Cruciatus curse many times before I killed her. Her screams were music to me.”
Amos Diggory had abandoned all restraint; he launched himself towards Draco, his wand shooting sparks as he did so. “In the cave! NOW!” Diggory yelled as he drew his wand back.
The footsteps of several other wizards were heard before Lucius Malfoy saw them enter the cave, Ministry of Magic symbols were clearly marked on their robes, and all of them had their wands drawn, and were ready for whatever awaited them inside the cave.
“Amos?” called a short, round wizard from the front of the pack, “What’s going on?”
It was then that he laid his eyes on Lucius, Draco was busy duelling with Diggory in the back, “It’s the Malfoy’s! Don’t let them get away!” the fat wizard yelled, and he and his comrades advanced upon Lucius, and some headed towards Draco to help out Amos Diggory.
Lucius raised his wand, and prepared to fight for his freedom once again.
A/N - Chapter 7 down! Chapter 8 will be coming soon! Thanks to Orlaith for Beta'ing this!